


Of Monsters and Men

by shrimpette



Category: Naruto
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Dark Fantasy, High Fantasy, M/M, Monster Slayer!Naruto, Nerfed vampires, Possible Character Death, Slow Build, Slow Romance, Some Humor, Speciesism, Vampire!Sasuke, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-25
Updated: 2015-03-31
Packaged: 2018-03-09 01:17:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 47,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3230753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shrimpette/pseuds/shrimpette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naruto is a hired sword who kills monsters for money. One day, a monster saves his life. // The non-fantasy and non-Naruto elements are based on 14/15th century central Europe. The monsters are usually based on ones that appear in Slavic mythology.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ties

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Naruto.  
> And there's no Twilight in here.

Naruto blinked, trying to adjust his eyes to darkness. His head pounded with a blunt pain, and he could feel the metallic taste of blood on his tongue. The last thing he remembered was fighting some ghouls that had built a nest next to the village cemetery. He was doing fine - up to the point when something heavy hit him in the back of his head, probably knocking him unconscious. The blonde tried to look around without moving much. The place he was lying in definitely wasn't the cemetery. And, seeing how he was still alive, he was quite certain that whatever or whoever decided to bring him here, wasn't a ghoul. Ghouls would have simply eaten him. Naruto noticed that his movements weren't restrained in any way. He was either saved by someone or the thing that caught him was rather stupid. The blonde slowly tilted his head, and saw his trusty spear lying next to him - unfortunately broken. He frowned, and grabbed the spearhead, still rather suspicious. He didn't see anyone when he was fighting - and he wasn't willing to believe that the ghouls decided to leave him breathing for long enough to let someone - because it had to be someone - find him. Another rather troubling fact was that he was lying in a cave - whoever saved him, decided to go into the mountains and not to the nearby village.

"You've finally woken up," a flat voice muttered. Naruto hastily got up, facing the man with his barely working weapon, ready to attack. The man, a lean brunette smirked at him nastily. "If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't bother myself with dragging you here," he pointed out.

"Who are you?" Naruto questioned, still in battle stance. His neck and left shoulder hurt. So did his right leg. He stole a quick glance at his shin - it was covered with bloodied bandages.

"Someone who saved your sorry ass," the man replied, evidently not amused by Naruto's readiness to fight him.

"I see... Thank you," the blonde replied sincerely. "What's your name? And how can I repay you?"

"...Sasuke," the man answered. "And we're even," he added, looking away. Naruto eyed him uncertainly, wondering what the man meant by it. He was quite certain that he had never talked with anyone named Sasuke. "You should go and report that you've completed the task," he stated. "I assume _that_ was the reason why you were all alone on that cemetery," he mused.

"I didn't kill all the ghouls yet," Naruto replied, rubbing his neck. His skin was hot. He would have to find someone who would check it.

"I did," Sasuke told him. "You should really go now," he whispered and sat on the ground.

"...fine," Naruto agreed. That guy was definitely a rather shadowy one. The blonde decided to not call him out on that. He was hurt, and practically unarmed. And the man _did_ save his life. "I'm Naruto," he introduced himself as he put on his padded jacket. Its sleeve was ripped off. The blonde cursed. He would have to sew it back on. And wash his linen shirt that was brown from dried blood.

He left the dark cave, admiring the dawn, and shaking from cold. It would be winter soon, and he would have to find himself a nice place to stay for the coldest months. Probably a city or at least a town.

Two hours later, he entered the inn, in which he had rented a room, and asked for a tub. It was delivered to him almost an hour later, together with pots of boiling water. He undressed himself completely, rubbed off the mud and blood with a wet cloth, and entered the tub. The hot water was relaxing. He studied his shin, frowning at the ugly bite mark. If it wasn't for hoses, he would probably have an open wound. Luckily enough, ghouls didn't have sharp teeth - the creatures were rather used to crush, and not bite. He felt the stinging neck with his fingers, wondering how did he end up being wounded there. His helmet was equipped with chainmail hood, and it couldn't have simply fallen off. And he didn't suspect ghouls of being delicate enough to take it off without pulling his head out in the process. Naruto's blue eyes widened in shock, feeling a quite distinct bite mark. There were two little holes in his neck. He jumped out of the tub, ignoring the fact that he was spilling water everywhere, and grabbed his helmet, trying to use it as a mirror. Unfortunately, the image wasn't clear enough. He cursed under his nose, and decided that he had to pay Sasuke a visit soon. A vampire wouldn't travel around during a day, and days were getting shorter and shorter.

Naruto put on fresh underwear, bandaged his leg, and clothed himself, once again cursing the ripped off sleeve of his padded jacket. He grabbed a cutlass, making a mental note to repair his spear as quickly as possible, and ran out of the inn, hoping that he would still be able to catch the monster.

* * *

 

Sasuke frowned, smelling the idiot return to the cave. He shouldn't had fed on him, that was a stupid move. He was well aware of the fact that the man was some kind of a mercenary or a monster slayer, or whatever he wanted to call himself. The brunette cursed under his breath. He was starving for days. He tried to feed on animals, and it did satiate his hunger but he felt himself growing weaker with every day. Sasuke was still astounded by the fact that he didn't suck the blonde dry.

The brunette looked through the cave entrance, noticing that it was almost dusk. He would be able to hide the moment the sun would disappear behind the horizon. He never killed a man, and he didn't plan to start now. Sasuke crouched, ready to pull out his sword. He smelled the man getting closer and closer. He could hear his steps. The brunette unsheathed his weapon. He saw the blonde lurking into the cave, also ready to attack.

"Why do you want to attack me?" Sasuke shouted, hoping to distract the man. There was a chance that he wasn't a complete moron - after all the blonde was wounded. And he had lost some blood. Perhaps he would be willing to negotiate.

"You're a monster, and heroes kill monsters," the man shouted back. Sasuke rolled his eyes. He never believed in the stories about hired swords having any kind of ideology.

"Then find a hero," he yelled. He heard the blonde grit his teeth. He probably shouldn't have said that.

 Sasuke raised his sword, defending himself from the blonde's attack. Luckily enough, the man was right-handed and didn't use a shield. That meant he had to be used to defending himself from attacks aimed at at his left side, and not right. Sasuke threw his sword - slightly longer than the blonde's cutlass - into his left hand, catching it gracefully. He tried to hit the man on the hip - the wound wouldn't be fatal but it would hurt as hell. The man was rather slim, and his bones weren't protected by fat tissue. Sasuke raised an eyebrow - the blonde blocked the attack. They were dueling for a while, unable to hit one another. The brunette noticed that it was already dark outside. He just had to move closer to the cave entrance and he could run away.

"I've never killed anybody," Sasuke muttered under his breath.

The blonde stopped moving for a while, evidently dumbfounded by the confession.

"...well, you still should be put out of your misery," he mumbled out uncertainly.

"It's _my_ misery. I don't want to be put out of it," Sasuke replied. "Just let me leave," he demanded, trying to move forward. The blonde blocked his way.

"I can't let you roam the world and feed on innocent maidens," the man protested stupidly. Sasuke snickered unwillingly.

"So you consider yourself an innocent maiden," he pointed out, attacking the man, forcing him to move forward.

"...or brave men," he added. "That's against the Code," he explained, sounding rather guilty.

"I'll try to target innocent men and brave maidens then," Sasuke retorted, trying to walk around the moron.

"You _can't_ feed on people," the man whined.

"You _don't_ want to kill me," Sasuke realized. He hissed when the blonde's cutlass sliced his wrist. The wound started to heal, and he dropped his weapon, unable to withstand the pain. The blonde rammed him into the wall, holding his blade next to Sasuke's throat. "Are you going to cut off my head now?" he muttered, staring straight into the blue eyes. "Is _this_ how you plan to become a hero? By killing a man who saved your life?"

"You're a _monster_ ," the blonde opposed, visibly hesitating.

"Maybe not all monsters deserve to die," Sasuke suggested. The man looked away, and the brunette tried to free himself from his grip. He only managed to make him drop his cutlass.

"...maybe not," the blonde agreed unexpectedly. "But I can't just let you do whatever you wish. There's no telling when you'll deserve to die," he pondered, his forehead covered in wrinkles.

"I'll be nice," Sasuke promised, trying to shake off the man's arms but to no avail.

"If you really want to live, then you're going with me," he decided. Sasuke tilted his head. If he was to agree to the idiotic request, then he would probably be able to escape.

"I want to live," he admitted. The blonde smiled at him warmly, and rammed him against the cave wall again, knocking him unconscious.

* * *

 

Naruto tied the vampire with a rope, and draped him over his shoulders as if he was a doe. His body was rather light, his skin cold. He smelled like a graveyard, and the blonde wondered whether vampires even took baths. This one would have to at least try to.

Naruto brought the man into the inn, feeling curious stares of the locals.

"I've dealt with your ghouls problem," he informed them, grinning widely. The vampire twitched on his back, grunting something incomprehensibly. The people cheered him, evidently deciding that whatever was his reason to bring a bound man into the inn, it had to be a good one. He went upstairs into the room, eying the cold water in the tub.

"You need to take a bath," he informed the vampire. "I've ordered some hot water for you," he added, wondering how his relation with the monster should look like. He didn't trust him enough to let him walk freely but if he was to be bound all the time, then he would become a liability. The vampire glared daggers at him, probably still pissed off about the rough treatment. A servant came in, and poured hot water into the tub. Naruto checked the temperature - it was lukewarm at best. "Hop in," he ordered the monster. He had heard about collars that were used by scholarss that were studying monsters. The collars were connected to a charged crystal which, if it was to be destroyed, would turn the collar into a noose that would instantly tighten around the subject's neck. Naruto wondered whether he would be able to get one in the city.

The vampire stared at him for a rather long time.

"Am I supposed to enter the tub with my clothes still on?" he inquired, frowning. The blonde cleared his throat, and freed the monster's hands, pointing the cutlass at him. The vampire smirked nastily, and started to take off his tunic and shirt. His skin was unhealthily pale, somewhat grayish. He undid the belt, and straightened his arms, waiting to be bound again. Naruto tied his wrists together. He felt weird, almost too shy to look at the monster he was supposed to look after. He made the vampire sit down, and unbound his legs. He made a leash and a collar out of the rope, and put it on the monster. If he was to pull the leash, the collar would tighten and cause him pain. The vampire frowned, evidently more upset about the fact that he was treated like a dog than because of physical discomfort the ties caused him. Then he took off his pants and underwear, and Naruto fixed his eyes on a point over his head, doing his best at keeping a straight face.

"Now clean yourself up," he ordered, looking away when the vampire climbed into the tub. Naruto threw him a piece of soap, and sat on a chair next to the tub, tightly squeezing his end of the leash. The monster acted in an oddly calm way. He didn't say anything, the blonde could only hear water splashing. He watched him wash his hair, visibly struggling with rinsing the soap out of it. Naruto cleared his throat, feeling strangely uncomfortable. "How often do you need to eat?" he inquired.

"I'm not your pet," the vampire retorted.

"I still need to feed you," the blonde stated, unfazed by the monster's outburst. "Will one rabbit per day suffice?"

"If you want to starve me to death,"  he muttered.

"...so...three rabbits," Naruto suggested. He bit the insides of his cheek. He would either have to spend a fortune or waste his time on hunting.

"They have to be alive when you bring them to me," the monster murmured, smiling nastily. Naruto frowned. That was just another problem. He hoped that once he would put the obedience collar on him, he would become useful enough to at least make up for all the troubles. "You could always let me feed on you," he proposed, trying to scrub some dirt off his feet.

"You're not going to suck out any more human blood," the blonde opposed.

"Then I'm going to eventually die. You know what would spare you all of these troubles? If you were to free me..."

"I'm not freeing you," Naruto protested, rubbing his forehead. The vampire stood up, and left the tub, looking much fresher. The blonde kept his eyes on the monster's face.

"You've got some towel or do I just stand here until I'm completely dry?" he inquired sourly. Naruto got up from his chair, and approached the bed, pulling the leash. The vampire didn't budge from his spot.

"I don't want to hurt you," the blonde complained, and threw him a towel he caught despite having his wrists tied.

"Then don't," the monster retorted. Naruto frowned at him, watching him dry himself up. When he finished and tied the towel around his hips, the blonde walked up to him, and loosened the makeshift collar. The vampire's skin was somewhat warmer, probably due to the water. And he stopped smelling so badly. Naruto heaved a tired sigh.

"We should wash our clothes," he uttered. "I'll lend you something to sleep in," he added. He tied the leash to the bed, fully aware of the fact that it was mostly symbolic, unsheathed his cutlass, took off everything but his braies, and threw their clothes into the tub, starting to wash them. The vampire was standing next to the bed, watching his every move. "How often do you need to feed on humans?" Naruto questioned.

"At least once a month - if you just want to keep me alive," the vampire answered.

"...what if I wanted to keep you healthy?" the blonde asked.

"...then _you_ wouldn't be healthy," the monster stated. "Possibly not even alive," he added, sighing heavily. Naruto stared at him with a puzzled expression on his face. He was quite certain that he had never heard about a vampire caring whether their meal was feeling well. He was also sure that he had never heard about one that wouldn't suck their victims dry. It would probably explain why nobody in the village complained about a vampire. Naruto wondered how many such monsters lived among people without raising their suspicions.

"...I feel well enough," the blonde said.

"That's because I didn't drink much," the monster retorted, sitting on the bed.

"Was it enough to last you a month?"

"...no," he replied. Naruto squeezed the water out of their clothes, and hanged the garments near the chimney. Then he approached the vampire, pointing the cutlass at his heart, untied the leash, and sat next to the vampire, resting the blade against his throat.

"Drink up," he ordered. The monster licked his lips, visibly barely able to refrain himself from ripping his throat apart. Naruto pushed the blade stronger, slightly slicing the vampire's skin. He frowned, probably pained. The skin around the wound reddened and started to heal. "...drink up," he repeated. His heart was pounding loudly in his chest. He had to admit that he was afraid. He was literally inviting a vampire to feed on him.

The monster tilted his head, placing his moist lips on the blonde's neck. Naruto swallowed the excessive saliva, feeling a cold tongue and sharp teeth. He pushed the blade further, wincing in pain when he was bitten. The vampire stopped, probably once again hurt.

"Sorry, continue," Naruto whispered. He could see the monster's Adam's apple moving up and down with every gulp. He could hear quiet slurping. His neck and shoulder hurt, and his head was getting dizzy. "...stop," he pleaded. The vampire obeyed, and raised his head. He wiped his lips, and licked off the blood. Naruto felt sick.

* * *

 

Sasuke observed the man, whose skin lost its warm color. He had probably drunk too much. The man lay on the bed, throwing the cutlass away, and pulling the leash. The blonde closed his blue eyes, and rubbed his temples. Sasuke licked his lips. The man was still holding onto the leash, tightening the noose around the brunette's neck. Sasuke regretted ever claiming that he had wished to live. He had probably simply prolonged his suffering.

"I don't feel too well," the blonde whimpered. He got up abruptly, and, still pulling Sasuke with him, grabbed a bowl, into which he barfed. The brunette frowned.

"Are you going to ruin my each and every meal?" he complained. To his surprise, the blonde sent him an apologetic stare. Then he threw up again. His neck was still bleeding, and, even though it was covered in blood, Sasuke could notice that it was swollen. "You're going to have bruises," he said, and loosened the noose around his own neck. Then he noticed that during all of that commotion he had lost the linen towel. Sasuke sighed tiredly, and lowered his arms to at least try to cover his nudity. The blonde turned around, and faced him. A color appeared on his face. Red color. "You fancy me," Sasuke smirked nastily.

"...I don't fancy monsters," the blonde protested, looking away. He opened a wardrobe and threw Sasuke some clean underwear.

"Are you going to keep throwing stuff at me?" the brunette whined, and put on the underpants. He didn't remember when was the last time he had an opportunity to sleep in an actual bed. Somehow, humans weren't too interested in inviting him into their homes. "Besides, I have a name," he added.

"I don't care about your name," the blonde muttered. Sasuke frowned.

"You were the one who asked about it, _Naruto_ ," he uttered, suddenly remembering the male's name. "And you were the one who forced me to undress the moment I got into this room," he snickered. "And then you took off your clothes as well, and now all of them are wet..." the brunette mused, enjoying the flustered look on the moron's face. Naruto glared at him hatefully. "If you've told me sooner, I would've left you more blood for other activities," he added. A group of servants came to take the tub and the bowl. Luckily enough, the blonde quickly covered his neck wound with a piece of cloth. One woman blushed heavily, noticing the leash. "Now everybody thinks that we're sodomites," Sasuke snorted.

"Shut up or I'm going to gag you," the blonde growled. The brunette shrugged his shoulders. His situation was already awful, so a muzzle wouldn't change much. The man pulled him towards the bed. "Go to sleep," Naruto ordered him. The blonde seemed weakened. If Sasuke was to act fast enough, then perhaps he would be able to escape. He still had some time before the dawn. He lay on the bed, frowning when the man tied his arms and legs to the bed frame. Then Naruto  grabbed him by the collar, and lay next to him. Sasuke hoped that he would loosen his grip after falling asleep. He turned away from the male's gaze, staring at the wall. He regretted saving the idiot.

* * *

 

Naruto glared at the monster, questioning his motives. It would had been probably better if he was to kill him. Even if the vampire didn't lie when he had claimed to never kill anyone, even if he had saved his life, he still wasn't human. The blonde tried to recollect everything he had known about the specie. The latest study had shown that vampires weren't really dead - their hearts were pumping blood, and they had a pulse. Some scholars claimed that vampirism was in fact an incurable illness. Naruto was rather doubtful about that. He had seen what vampires were capable of - and they were rather cruel creatures that would leave a trail of tears and dead bodies behind them. Only this one _didn't_. Naruto had been in the area long enough to learn about a predator, and the only complaint he had heard was about the ghouls.

The blonde rubbed his temples, wondering how much longer it would take for his body to regenerate. The healer he was usually visiting, Sakura, claimed that Naruto was healing exceptionally fast. Perhaps, if he was to rest, then they would be able to set out on the next night. Not being able to travel during daytime was just another problem but a rather minor one. The bigger one was to find a shadowed place for them to stay during their journey.

"How much shadow do you need during the day?" he inquired. He saw the vampire sigh heavily, and got irritated. The monster was probably unaware of the fact that if Naruto was like the other mercenaries, then he wouldn't be even alive. Not to mention that nobody would care whether he had eaten enough or got enough shade. The blonde squinted his eyes, glaring daggers at the pale back that didn't have any scar on it. He had noticed that the infamous vampiric regeneration ability came with a price - it apparently caused much more pain than the wound that was being healed. He shook the monster who growled at him. "I'm just going to sell you to some scholar so they could study you," Naruto muttered angrily.

"...don't," the vampire replied quietly. "I'd rather die," he stated. The blonde wasn't surprised - he had read some of the studies, and, well, scholars didn't treat their subjects with care. Some years ago there was an uproar - some people were questioning whether treating intelligent monsters - that is ones that could speak - was morally justified. There was founded a faction that wanted to protect them but it fell apart after the faction leader was killed by a lich.

"Then answer the damn question," Naruto demanded. "Would a tent suffice?"

"...no, the sunrays would still come through the fabric," he uttered.

"I have a thick woolen blanket," the blonde pondered. "Would that be enough?"

"I'm not willing to check if it would," the vampire retorted.

"But you'll be fine in here with the blinds closed?" Naruto asked. The monster nodded his head. "Then you'll be fine in a tent with a blanket," he decided. "We're heading to the city on the next night. I can't walk you on a leash when we're among people, though," he mused. "They can't know that you're a vampire," he added.

 If the authorities were to learn that Naruto was having a monster as his companion, then he would have to face a trial, and the vampire would be left tied to a stake so the sun could kill him. That would be counterproductive. Somehow, killing the monster didn't seem right. On the other hand, he had no idea as to what he should do with him. He knew that he couldn't let him walk freely - that would be a tragedy waiting to happen. If he could force the monster into obedience, the vampire would probably prove himself to be a worthy companion. He could fight. Naruto would be able to accept tasks he wasn't able to clear on his own. He used to have a companion before – unfortunately, Gaara was killed. The blonde was still grieving after his death - he also wasn't willing to have another person die in front of his eyes. Having a tamed vampire would solve his problems. After all, he wasn't a person.

* * *

 

Sasuke sighed tiredly. Apparently the blonde could hold onto his collar even when he was sleeping. Whenever he tried to change his position, Naruto would wake up, and pretend that he was still asleep, evidently checking what would Sasuke do. The brunette turned on his other side, refraining himself from hissing in pain when the ties hurt his skin. He eyed the blonde disdainfully.

"...I shouldn't have saved you," he muttered. "I should have let the ghouls eat you," he added. Naruto opened his blue eyes, and locked them with Sasuke's black ones.

"Do you want me to gag you?" the male questioned in a sleepy voice. Sasuke frowned at him. Somehow, he had been denied all of his rights the moment the idiot had learned about his unusual diet.

"Do you plan to drag me along tied and gagged?" he asked.

"Yes, unless you shut up," the blonde whispered.

"We need to go to one more place. I want to take my things," Sasuke requested.

"So you're not a caveman," Naruto snickered. " I'm not letting you lead me into the woods, though," he declared decidedly. "Say goodbye to your precious things," the blonde added and yawned. Sasuke bit the insides of his cheek. He realized that escape wouldn't be as easy as he had anticipated it to be. He had to somehow earn the moron's trust.

* * *

 

"Hurry up," Naruto ordered the monster, who glared at him questioningly. They were just one day away from the city, and it was a bliss because the vampire turned out to be rather whiny. He didn't like being bound, he didn't like being treated as a baggage - as he had named it, he didn't like spending the day in the tent, and now he was being picky about a stray sheep Naruto had found for him.

"How do you expect me to feed on it?" the monster inquired stupidly. He frowned, showing off his teeth. "Am I supposed to suck the blood out of its wool?" he questioned.

The blonde looked at the poor animal that was making panicked noises. Apparently animals didn't like vampires. Naruto had a hard time forcing his horse to move with a bundled up monster tied in front of the saddle. The sheep _did_ have a thick coat. The blonde kneeled in front of it, and cut out some of the wool with a knife.

"Better?" he asked. The vampire glared at him hatefully. Then he attacked the screaming animal and bit it.

Naruto looked away, hoping that nobody would hear or see them. He flinched when the monster threw the dead limp sheep at him. He caught it instinctively, letting go off the leash. The vampire's eyes grew wider, and he made his move, trying to run away. Naruto dropped the animal, and ran after him. Luckily, the monster wasn’t too fast – he was probably hurting from the uncomfortable journey and being bound practically all day and night. The blonde jumped at him, and pushed him to the ground. He pulled his dark hair, making him wince in pain.

“Don’t run away,” he requested, and got up, forcing the monster to stand up as well. His horse whickered loudly. “Just accept that you’re mine now and everything will be much simpler – your life would get more pleasant,” he said in a hushed voice.

“I’m not yours,” the vampire protested. “Besides, what do you even need me for?” he inquired. There was still some blood on his teeth. Naruto shrugged with disgust.

“You will help me out in my job,” he explained. The vampire glared at him with a puzzled expression on his face. “Yes, eventually you will be walking without the rope ties, and, perhaps, I will even allow you to have a weapon by your side,” he added. The monster’s eyes widened in surprise, and Naruto smiled at him. “So be nice,” he demanded, and tied the vampire again.

* * *

 

“So, as you can see, it’s quite convenient,” a scholar stated in a dull voice. Sasuke eyed him and Naruto, feeling panicked. “I’ll just mark your vampire like this,” he said, and painted a geometric shape on a piece of paper, “then I’m going to charge a crystal so it would respond to that single mark, and then you’ll be more or less in control. The mark will kill the monster if you crush the crystal – and you have to be rather careful with it, these things break easily,” the scholar said and chuckled softly. “Of course, the curse will be also activated if your vampire decides to move away further than one mile from the crystal,” he added, and patted the blonde’s shoulder. Naruto stared at the man wide-eyed. “I can show you how it works, I think that one of my subjects is already close to death-“

“Don’t,” Naruto interrupted him. “That won’t be needed,” he added, breathing heavily. Sasuke glared at the man, scared to death. Saving the blonde was the worst decision of his life. “Just... do the thing,” he muttered in a half-voice.

“Naruto, don’t do this to me,” Sasuke pleaded. “What if you crush it by accident-“

“I’d call it good riddance,” the scholar replied, smiling warmly.

“...you _know_ that I don’t want to hurt you,” Naruto whispered, rubbing his temples. “Shino, please, let’s get it over with,” he uttered, addressing the scholar.

“Then _stop_ hurting me,” Sasuke yelled. He backed away from the man, who tried to approach him, and hissed at him. Naruto grabbed him by the arms, and forced him to tilt his head. “Just kill me already,” the brunette shouted, feeling tears welling up in his eyes. He winced, feeling something moist on his neck. Apparently the scholar started marking him.

“I’ll let you feed on me after we’ll be done with this,” the blonde promised stupidly.

“I hate you,” Sasuke retorted.

“Isn’t he a feisty one,” the scholar mused merrily. “I have some already tamed ones downstairs, we could trade-“

“There’s no need,” Naruto muttered hastily. The scholar returned to his desk, and took out a small blue crystal. He murmured something in a language Sasuke didn’t know, and the crystal shone with a faint light. He handed it to the blonde, who looked away, as if ashamed about what he had just done. Sasuke didn’t care about the idiot’s feelings. For the last week his life had been in constant danger – he could had been killed if he had done something the moron would deem improper. Now he could die by accident. The brunette realized that he would have to kill the moron before he’d be killed.

“It’s done,” the man informed Naruto.

* * *

 

“I _had_ to do this,” Naruto whispered, addressing the brunette, who had chosen to ignore him completely. He had already untied him but that didn’t seem to lift his spirits. The vampire also declined when he offered him some of his blood.

The blonde was still shaken after his visit at Shino’s. He didn’t suspect scholars of such cruelty. Somehow, after spending just a week with the vampire, Naruto started to question everything he had read about them before. The brunette didn’t seem more dangerous than a human. And he was quite good when it came to draining animals from blood. The blonde didn’t remember when was the last time he had eaten so much meat.

Naruto had sewn the crystal into a pouch, and hanged it around his neck on a chain, making sure that it wouldn’t get destroyed accidentally. Then he returned to smoothing the new shaft for his spear. He preferred it to the cutlass – sometimes the range meant everything. 

The vampire apparently had decided to starve himself to death. He refused to eat anything over the course of six days, and his skin was becoming even grayer and colder. Naruto wondered when the innkeeper will get irritated about the three rabbits that were sitting in a cage in their room. The blonde knew he should look for a job but he was quite certain that he couldn’t trust the vampire enough to not tie him up when they were sleeping or to give him a weapon.

“You have to eat,” he whispered, staring at the brunette, who was lying lifelessly on the bed. “Sasuke,” he said in a hushed voice. The vampire turned his head at the sound of his name. “Sasuke, eat something, please,” Naruto pleaded.

The brunette glared at him coldly, and returned to staring at the wall. Naruto heaved a worried sigh.

“How old are you?” the blonde inquired, hoping that it would distract Sasuke.

“Twenty four,” he replied after a longer pause, letting out a pained sigh.

“No, I mean your real age,” Naruto clarified.

“...twenty four,” the vampire repeated. “I... changed... two years ago,” he explained. The blonde felt a pang of guilt. He didn’t suspect the brunette to be younger than he was.

“...sorry,” he stated quietly, and checked whether the spearhead would fit the new shaft. It didn’t. “I’ve never met one as young as you are,” he said.

“How many have you killed?” the brunette inquired in a strained tone.

“...less than ten,” Naruto confessed. “But they were different,” he mused. “Four of them were already unable to talk,” he added, glancing at the brunette, who turned his head towards him. “I did this,” he whispered, grabbing the pouch that was hanging on a chain around his neck, “just so I would be able to stop you if you were to become like them,” he stated.

“I’ve saved your life, and you’re ruining mine,” the brunette repeated for the umpteenth time that week. “That one thing will never change.”

“...would you have followed me if I asked you to?” Naruto asked. “If I didn’t force you into doing it?”

Sasuke eyed him with disdain. The blonde didn’t blame him. He would had probably hated himself as well.

“...perhaps,” he answered. His black eyes widened in surprise when Naruto threw the chain and the pouch at him. He caught it skillfully, tightly gripping it.

“You’re free to go,” Naruto declared. “Bear in mind that I _will_ kill you if you start being dangerous,” he said incoherently. The brunette quickly rose to his feet, grabbed his belongings and rushed out of the room.

The blonde chuckled bitterly to himself. He had probably violated every single regulation of the Code.


	2. Escape

Naruto stared at the body of a dead man. The victim was completely drained out of blood. His skin was gray and wrinkled, and the eyes had sunk into their sockets. There were some scratch marks on his chest and arms but the only wounds that mattered were bite marks on the man's neck and thigh. From what Naruto had learned from the locals, the man was the miller's son, and was rather liked by the community. He was barely eighteen years old. The blonde heaved a tired sigh. It was all his fault. If he hadn't let Sasuke free four months ago then the man would still be alive. Naruto cursed his stupidity.

"So? Was it a vampire?" a man inquired. He wasn't afraid of looking at the corpse - unlike many of city inhabitants.

"Yes, I think that it was a vampire," Naruto replied, looking away. The man asked him whether they should burn the man's body. "There's no need," Naruto answered. It was already late. He would have to look for the monster on the next day.

* * *

The blonde smiled bitterly. Somehow, he was placed in the exact same room he had rented before. Hell, there was even a chance that he was sitting in the same tub. Naruto massaged his arms and legs. He had an ugly scar on his shin that refused to heal properly. Apparently ghouls' saliva wasn't too good for one's skin.

For the last four months he was asking about the village he had met Sasuke in. It was all nice and quiet, and there was a time when Naruto was proud of what he had done. The blonde wondered how was Sasuke getting his monthly portion of blood; he was handsome enough to persuade a girl or two to feed him voluntarily but that would be rather risky. If Naruto was to guess, he would say that he was attacking travelers. It was probably safest, especially if he was hunting far from the village. Then he learned that three people had been killed over the course of one week. Each of them had a distinct bite mark on their body. They were all young men.

The blonde washed his hair, deciding that he would need to get a haircut. It was getting quite inconvenient. He dropped the soap when he heard a knocking on his window. It was already night, and his room was located on the second floor. Naruto gulped nervously, grabbed a crossbow, left the tub, and tied a towel around his hips. He opened the window, aiming his crossbow at the brunette who rolled his eyes at him. The vampire was crouching on the window sill, and, from what Naruto saw, was unarmed.

"It wasn't me," he declared. The blonde eyed him with suspicion.

"How did you know I was here?" he inquired. The brunette sighed wearily.

"I smelled you," he replied. "Let me in," Sasuke demanded. Naruto glared at him, uncertain about what he should do next. If anyone was to see them, it would get even more problematic. Especially since he had told Shino that the vampire was already dead.

"Come in," he invited him, still aiming the crossbow at the man's head . The brunette jumped from the sill into the room, and closed the window. Naruto stared at him, wondering what was his reason to meet him. If Sasuke wanted to kill him, then it would be much more reasonable for him to wait until the blonde would start hunting him. Coming into the inn definitely wasn't the smartest choice. The vampire glared back at him. He had to notice that he wasn't trusted because he lifted his arms, showing that he had no ill intentions.

"Would you mind picking a weapon that wouldn't fire accidentally?" he asked, smirking at the blonde. Naruto nodded his head. He  _would_ mind. "Do I look like someone who had eaten anything in the last week?" Sasuke questioned, sounding irritated. The blonde studied his face and body - the vampire's skin had an unhealthy glow, and his hair seemed matt. He was looking much worse than when Naruto was taking care of him. Still, risking an attack would be rather stupid. The brunette cursed under his nose. "I didn't come here to hurt you," he stated calmly. "I came here because I don't want you to hurt me."

"Do you expect me to believe that another vampire came here? Aren't you territorial creatures?" the blonde questioned.

"I didn't know I was supposed to mark everything I like," the brunette chuckled softly. "But I am able to smell them, so they probably know that I'm here," he added. "Now, since we've established that I'm still a good boy, I'll take my leave."

"...lead me to them," Naruto asked, putting the crossbow away, and pulling the brunette's sleeve. The man stopped and faced him.

"I have no reason to do so," Sasuke protested with a deadpan face.

" Sasuke, why don't you want to help me out?" the blonde questioned. "I would share the prize money with you. I may even let you feed on me afterwards," he offered. "If you can smell them, then we'll be able to track them down in no time."

"I have no reason to kill her," he answered.

"So it's a  _she_ ," Naruto mused. The brunette frowned, probably unhappy that he had enclosed that information to him. "She kills people, Sasuke. Isn't it a good reason to kill her?"

"...and people do even worse things to us," the brunette retorted, rubbing his neck. Naruto sent him an apologetic stare.

"...you won't double-cross me, right?" the blonde inquired. "She's not your mate or anything?"

Sasuke shot him a questioning look, the corners of his lips curving upwards in a nasty smile.

"She's not my  _mate_ ," he answered. "I'm not an animal."

"Partner," Naruto corrected himself. He started to get cold.

"She's not," he replied, looking away. The blonde raised an eyebrow. He believed that the topic of vampires' mating rituals wasn't studied yet. He wasn't even sure whether they mated at all. He simply knew that it was rather uncommon for a vampire to not defend their territory. Unless they were willing to accept one another as partners. On the other hand, Sasuke seemed rather weak...

"She's going to kill you," Naruto mumbled. The black eyes widened in a mute question. "Right now you're on  _her_ territory," the blonde chuckled and went back into the tub, enjoying the warm water. Sasuke stared at him dumbfounded. "You're  _so_ beta," he laughed merrily, cleaning himself up.

"...stop with this crap," the brunette demanded, and turned away, ready to leave.

"Are you sure you don't want to eat?" the blonde asked flatly, pretending to be uninterested. He would find a good use for the vampire's nose and fighting skills. He just needed something the brunette would be willing to trade those assets for. "I could give you some blood even now. And much more afterwards," he offered. "Just lead me to her, you don't have to do anything more," he suggested. The brunette visibly squirmed. He had to be starving.

"I'll just lead you there, and then you'll be on your own," he stated, getting closer. Naruto nodded his head. The man kneeled behind his back, brushing away some of his hair. "You don't want to point anything sharp at me?" he questioned. His breath tickled the blonde's wet skin, his cold fingers squeezed his warm shoulder, making the blonde shudder. Naruto poked the pouch that was hanging on the other man's neck.

"I think I'll be fine," he murmured softly, trying to relax. He put his hands on his knees to not hurt the vampire accidentally. Sasuke planted his lips on the blonde's neck, and bit into his skin. "It hurts," Naruto smiled faintly, staring at the blood dripping into the water that became a light shade of pink. A while later, he grabbed the brunette's head, and pulled him away. "That's it for today," he informed the man. He needed to be in a good shape for the next day.

* * *

Sasuke frowned internally. What Naruto gave him didn't satiate his hunger, it just made him feel even hungrier. He eyed the open wound, refraining himself from licking the still oozing blood. Really, it was downright wasteful. He sighed internally, and straightened his back, staring at the blonde, who acted as if nothing out of ordinary happened.

"You prefer to stay here or to meet me on tomorrow's night?" Naruto inquired, washing the blood out of his wound.

"I'll see you tomorrow," the brunette decided and left the inn through the window.

While he didn't like what the idiot was saying about him, it could had been true for the female vampire. Sasuke knew that she had been observing him during the first few days after she changed, studying his habits and watching his every move. She was younger than Sasuke was. She was from the village - he noticed that her scent was different. Before, she smelled like cows and butter, and now it was mostly dead animals. He tried to approach her at the beginning. He remembered that when he had changed, everything was confusing and he felt lost. Unfortunately, the woman wasn't interested in him. She didn't even say anything, she simply hissed at him. He respected her wishes.

At first she was trying to feed only on animals - and with every day passing Sasuke saw more and more of animal corpses lying around. Apparently she wasn't able to understand why the hunger didn't want to go away. And then she attacked a human for the first time. The man had to knew her - he saw her in the woods when he was collecting wood. He had called out her name in surprise. She stared at him, utterly terrified as the man realized that she should had been dead. He tried to run away but she was much quicker. She pinned him to the ground and snapped his neck. She didn't feed on him, she didn't even try to despite not knowing that she couldn't had done that. Sasuke felt sorry for her. She buried the man, and his body still wasn't found by the villagers. They had to suspect what had happened to the man now, though. A week later she was practically crazy with hunger. The brunette didn't see her kill those people but he didn't really care about them or her. She would probably eventually become a problem, and Sasuke wasn't sure how he should deal with it - he considered moving away so he wouldn't be targeted when people were to attack her. That was until he smelled the familiar mercenary; the brunette still held a grudge against Naruto but he knew that he could at least  _try_  to reason with him.

Sasuke left the village, and was walking through the now empty fields. He stopped abruptly, and took a few steps back. The woman's scent was stronger than in the last few days. She had to be close. She probably got curious as to why did he travel outside the mountain. The brunette knew that he was carrying the blonde's scent on him. And she was probably well aware that the said blonde was still alive. Sasuke gulped quietly, wondering whether Naruto could had been right about the woman planning to kill him. He would be probably able to avoid her throughout the night but there was a chance that he wouldn't be able to reach a hideout before the dawn. The brunette turned around, and rushed towards the village.

He climbed the inn wall again, and knocked on the window, mentally ushering Naruto to let him in. He felt that the woman was following him. The blonde approached the window, and raised his eyebrows in a mute question. Sasuke gestured him to open the damn thing.

"...what is it?" the idiot asked in a sleepy voice.

"Let me in," the brunette demanded. Naruto shrugged his arms, and invited him inside. Sasuke closed the window, and sat on the floor, sensing that the woman had stopped moving. Perhaps she wasn't crazy enough to actually enter the village. The blonde stared at him questioningly. "I've decided to spend the night here," he muttered.

"Did she chase you?" Naruto inquired in a serious tone. The brunette rolled his eyes at him. He wasn't willing to admit that he had just ran away. The idiot would probably never let him live this down. "You can stay here but I have to leave," he informed Sasuke, and started to put on his battle gear.

"...she's in the fields," the brunette said, looking away. "She will have to go back to her hideout soon, so there's no need-"

"She may still attack someone," Naruto interrupted him.

"Nobody's walking anywhere near her," the brunette retorted.

"...I'm kind of impressed by your nose," the blonde chuckled softly. He was done with tying the padded jacket. Sasuke noticed that it was a new one. "But I can't risk other people's lives," he added. "Do you think that she will run away from me?"

"...I don't know. She had probably already realized that you're not just a random citizen," he replied. "But she is pretty aggressive so she may prefer to confront you."

"Well, I'll try to get back as soon as I can," Naruto stated calmly. Sasuke eyed the moron. He would be in deep shit if the blonde was to not come back.

* * *

Naruto walked out from the village, heading towards the fields Sasuke had told him about. He wished he had the vampire with him. He would know exactly where the monster was hiding, and he would have a backup. The vampiress seemed quite strong - she took down three young men without using any weapon. And she definitely wasn't like Sasuke. The blonde suspected that she had already lost herself.

Naruto marched through the fields, listening for any movement. The ground was hard, frozen. He felt every pebble through his worn out soles. He would have to ask a cobbler to sew him new ones. He inhaled the cold air that was stinging his throat and lungs. He shouldn't have let Sasuke feed on him. He didn't give him much but he would rather prefer to be in the best shape possible. He stopped abruptly, hearing a branch break , and looked over his shoulder, reading himself for a fight. A deer ran through a balk. Naruto sighed in relief, and turned towards the mountain. Then he saw her.

The vampiress looked like a complete mess. Her dress was dirty with mud and blood, her hair was cut short - she probably had done it on her own since the cut was rather uneven.

Naruto squinted his eyes, trying to see better in the darkness, and started to encircle the monster, keeping her at a distance with his spear. He attacked her, glad that he was able to hit her. The spear went right through her side. The blonde cursed loudly. He was unable to pull it out. The vampiress screamed in pain, and grabbed the shaft of his weapon, making him drop it. Naruto jumped back, and reached to his side, feeling for the cutlass. His eyes widened in terror as he realized that he had to lose it. The monster pulled the spear out of her body, and blood oozed out of her side. She kneeled, breathing heavily and pressing her hand into the already healing wound. Naruto rose to his feet, and sprinted towards the spear, trying to grab it. The vampiress ran up to him, biting him in the neck. The blonde's world swirled wildly. She bit him in the exact same spot Sasuke had. The monster pressed her fingers against Naruto's eyes, and kicked him in the groin, making him lose his balance. The blonde fell to the ground, feeling blood gush out of his neck. He was dizzy, barely able to stay conscious. After a while he stopped resisting her, and became limp in her arms. It was pointless.

* * *

Sasuke watched the scene from the distance. The idiot obviously had to lose. He had left the inn soon after him, deciding that even if he would be forced into running away from the woman, it was still safer than staying in the moron's room without the moron. If Naruto was to not come back, then Sasuke would be locked in a building filled with people that would love to kill him. At first he didn't plan to follow the blonde. He had been keeping his distance, absentmindedly checking the situation. The woman had been apparently more interested in Naruto than she was in him, and the brunette welcomed her attitude. Then he had smelled her blood, and smirked bitterly under his nose. It appeared that the idiot wasn't as hopeless as he had anticipated him to be. That didn't last long. Soon after the air was filled with the thick scent of Naruto's blood, and Sasuke had found himself running towards the scene of the fight.

"He's mine," he hissed at the woman who was busy with draining the already unconscious blonde out. She looked over her shoulder, and eyed him with disdain. "Walk away from him," he demanded but she simply returned to eating. The brunette cursed under his nose, and grabbed the spear that was lying near them. From what he saw, the blonde was already close to dying. He hit the woman in the head with the shaft of the spear. She screeched in pain, and held her hands against her head. Sasuke poked her with the spear, forcing her to back off. The woman shot him a shocked and pained stare. The brunette felt sorry for her. "Leave or I'm going to kill you," he threatened her. The woman glared daggers at him, evidently reading herself to attack him.

Sasuke panicked. She was well fed while he was not. He shouldn't had tried to save the idiot again. The last time he had done it nothing good had came out of it. He bit his lip, and attacked the woman again, stabbing her in the chest. He twisted the spear, watching in horror as she was regenerating. The pain had to be unimaginable. The brunette refrained himself from looking away, and pushed the spear further into her body, hearing it crush her ribs, and feeling its head bounce off of her spine. He frowned with disgust, and dropped it. The woman was gasping for air, wheezing loudly. She was dying. Sasuke ran up to the blonde, and pressed his fingers against the wound, trying to stop it from bleeding. He felt a desire to bite him again and finish his meal. The woman let out her last breath, and the brunette swallowed the excessive saliva. He had to focus.

* * *

Naruto slowly opened his eyes. He was lying in an unfamiliar bed, covered by too many blankets and furs. He wanted to turn his head and look around the place but the pain in his neck and shoulder stopped him from doing so. He eyed the simple wooden ceiling, trying to guess where he was.

"You're finally awake," a flat familiar voice whispered throatily. Naruto smiled bitterly.

"I have a deja vu," he chuckled, and quickly regretted that. His throat hurt a lot. "Thanks, Sasuke," he said quietly. "What about her?" he inquired.

"...she's dead," the brunette informed him. "And you should eat something," he added in a raspy voice, and shoved a makeshift plate filled with cold roasted meat into his hands. Naruto sat up on the bed. His head was still dizzy.

"How long had I been unconscious?" he asked, packing his mouth with food. He couldn't remember when was the last time he was so hungry.

"Two days," Sasuke answered.

"So you've regained the control over your territory," the blonde mused.

"...she didn't expect me to attack her," the man muttered in a hushed voice. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"...you're not like her," he assured the vampire.

"I  _am_ ," Sasuke protested. "And she could have been still alive if I cared just a little bit more," he blurted out. Naruto swallowed his food. He wasn't used to talking about moral matters with vampires. They shouldn't be interested in them.

"...some people weren't made to be vampires," he said stupidly. The brunette was obviously feeling down. And he was probably rather lonely. He didn't have anyone he could talk to. Naruto frowned, wondering why did the man save him. It seemed that he was regretting his decision. "I mean, from what I saw she couldn't even talk-"

"It doesn't matter," the man interrupted him, and sat on the bed next to him.

"Sasuke, I really appreciate the fact that you've saved  _me_ ," Naruto confessed. "And I believe that it was mostly self-defense on your side," he added, and rubbed the brunette's arm in a reassuring way. Sasuke gazed at him, his black eyes filled with surprise. Naruto realized that it was the first time when he touched the brunette out of his free will. He gulped nervously. "Sasuke, I know that I've promised you some blood after that whole thing would be over but-"

"I  _can_ see that you're practically empty," the vampire interrupted him, staring over his shoulder at him.

"...I should probably go back," Naruto murmured, removing his hand from Sasuke's arm.

"You'd get lost," the brunette informed him, and sent him a faint smile. "I'll lead you out after it'll get dark," he promised.

"...would you want to go with me?" the blonde inquired. Sasuke frowned, and pulled down the collar of his tunic, showing Naruto the mark. It didn't fade at all, its pitch blackness was contrasting with the pale skin.

"Do you remember that?" he asked in an angry tone. "...because I still do," he added and looked away. The blonde sighed, staring at the ceiling.

"...sorry," he whispered, fully aware of the fact that it was pointless. "Why didn't you let me die?" he inquired after a longer pause.

"Because if you were to die then the villagers would hire someone more fit for the task," he muttered. Naruto snorted at the man.

"It's good to know that you see me as  _convenient_ ," he replied, feeling his neck with fingers. The vampiress was much less gentle than Sasuke had been. He had multiple bite marks, and, from what he felt through the bandages, she actually bit off a chunk of his flesh. He let out a tired sigh - it seemed that there was no escaping from scars.

* * *

Naruto showed the village leader the vampiress's head. Sasuke was nice enough to burn her body  _and_ leave him something he could show as a proof of a job done.

"Where have you been for so long?" the mayor questioned him, and the blonde panicked.

"The hunt was rather long..." he tried to explain himself, hoping that the villagers wouldn't get suspicious. He didn't want them to learn about the other vampire.

"But when the sun dawned..." the man pondered, tilting his head. "Besides, you seem rather mutilated," he added, eying Naruto's body. "We've already sent a word to the landlord , so..."

"Th-there's no need for your landlord to come here. Your woods are perfectly safe," Naruto shouted. The mayor stared at him questioningly, and the blonde gulped nervously.

"I think that there's something you're not telling me," the man muttered, playing with his beard. He forced the vampiress's mouth open, and poked her canines. "This head had already started to rot," he stated. "You've been somewhere but you don't want to tell me  _where_."

"I had to rest after the fight, she bit me-"

"And someone looked after your wounds," he interrupted him. Naruto cursed himself for going straight to the mayor. He should had went into the inn first. "You're under arrest," the man decided.

The blonde shot him a terrified stare, and ran through the doors before anyone could react. He had an adrenaline rush; he somehow forced his tired and wounded body into more effort. He sprinted out of the village, mentally saying goodbye to all of his possessions that he had left in the inn, and headed for the woods. He ran as swiftly as he was able to, ignoring his pained muscles. He was jumping over the thick roots, and climbing the mossy stones, trying to reach Sasuke. The blonde cursed mentally - the man should had left him on that field, someone would had found him in the morning. There was no need for the brunette to put himself in danger.

"Sasuke!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. The vampire had to know that he was near. Naruto hoped that the man wouldn't avoid him. Some people were already following him, and they were just a couple of minutes behind him. There was a chance that they heard him screaming. He wanted to believe that Sasuke heard him as well.

He rushed upwards, hoping that he was going in the right direction. The house the brunette had apparently lived in used to belong to the post, and it was located near the old road through the mountains. The road, unfortunately, was completely overgrown and practically non existent. He ran forwards, barely able to breath.

"Sasuke," he panted in relief, seeing the pissed off man, who eyed him angrily. Naruto realized that the vampire probably also knew that the blonde was being chased. He gulped nervously. "We need to run," he informed him, and pulled the sleeve of his tunic, ushering the man to follow him. "They know, all right?" he explained, seeing the puzzled look on the brunette's face.

The man reluctantly ran after him. Naruto tried to think about what they should do next. It was still night, and the villagers probably weren't too determined to find him - and they didn't know who Sasuke was but they had to realize that there was something wrong with him. There was a chance that they wouldn't continue their chase for a long time - they weren't endangered in any way, and it was the landlord's job anyway. The biggest problem was that the blonde had no idea what would they do when the day comes.

"Why do they know?" Sasuke questioned. Naruto noticed that the brunette was able to run much faster than he did. He cursed his body, trying to stabilize his breathing.

"I didn't come back fast enough," he spat out in one breath. "Do you have any idea what we should do now?" he asked in a defeated voice. "I mean... I have a friend in Konoha -" he said erratically, trying to force himself into running faster, "and she would help us but I have no idea how to get there," he concluded. His mouth was getting dry, and he almost ran into a tree. His adrenaline rush was over, and he felt as if he was about to throw his lungs up.

* * *

Sasuke clenched his fist, trying to come up with a plan. He knew the area pretty well - probably much better than the villagers, who were already far behind them. He let out a strained sigh; he was prepared for an event like this but he had never anticipated that he would have to drag a half-dead idiot with him. He slowed down and cleared his mind. He could escort the moron to Konoha, they could use the cave system for the majority of their journey, and after that he would have to find a new place for himself. He eyed Naruto angrily - he should had let ghouls eat him.

"I'll lead us out," he told the blonde, who beamed at him hopefully. "Why are  _you_ chased?" he inquired, heading towards his cabin. He had still enough time to grab some equipment.

"I tried to hide the fact that you exist," Naruto said , breathing heavily. Sasuke glanced at him, somewhat surprised by the answer. "...and now my life is in pieces," he realized. The brunette rolled his eyes at him.

"...serves you right," he muttered, pulled the idiot into the house, and shoved a leather sack into his hands.

* * *

Naruto felt as if he had been walking for  _ages_. His feet were sore, and hurt with every step that he took, he was hungry, tired and cold. His heart was beating fast even though the pace they were marching at was rather slow. Sasuke led him into some caves, and the blonde was quite certain that it was already day in the outside world. The place they were in was pitch black, and their only source of light was a torch Sasuke was holding. He was hopelessly following the brunette, who apparently knew the caves as the back of his hand.

"Are we under the mountain?" Naruto questioned in a weak voice, imagining the grand mass of stone that was piled up above him. He hoped that it wouldn't fall down.

"Yes," the brunette answered shortly, evidently not interested in the natural wonders. "We may rest if you want," he added, and cleared his throat. He had to be tired as well.

"If you think it's safe," Naruto agreed, plumped on the cold, wet ground, and rested his head against the cave wall. It smelled like salt and wet rocks. He took off his shoes, rolling his eyes at the vampire, who frowned at him in disgust, and massaged his feet, noticing that his woolen socks got frayed. He heaved a heavy sigh, and rubbed his stiff toes. Sasuke sat on the other side of the tunnel, and put out the torch. The blonde blinked furiously but it didn't help him at all. He was surrounded by pitch black darkness. "...Sasuke?" he whispered uncertainly, mortified when he heard a faint echo .

"What?" the brunette asked. Naruto jumped towards the source of the tired voice, and placed himself next to it. He heard the brunette snort, and slapped him somewhere. It was probably his shoulder but the blonde wouldn't bet on that.

"Nothing," he mumbled out, and put his shoes back on. He heard his companion untie the leather sack and rummage through it. His elbow hit him in the rib cage, and he whined in pain. His whole body was hurting and the cold didn't help. The blonde jumped in his spot when he felt something fuzzy land on him. He tried to defend himself against it - but then he realized that it was just a blanket, which Sasuke was apparently willing to share with him. "Cozy, isn't it?" he muttered, covering himself completely. "I'm sitting in a dark cave with a hungry, pissed off vampire. And we are sharing a blanket," he mused, puffing warm air into his hands.

"...I've just shared a blanket with a guy that wanted to kill me," the brunette retorted. "You know what? I'm taking it back," he added, and pulled the textile away. Naruto shivered, feeling much colder than he was before. Sasuke's hair tickled his cheek. "I could kill you right now," he whispered, and the blonde realized that he had stopped being useful to the vampire. He gulped, quite certain that he was doomed to die no matter what he did. He wouldn't be able to run away, and he definitely didn't have enough strength to fight him. Even if the blonde was to crush the accursed crystal, he would probably get lost in the cave and die. "But your smell is foul," the brunette concluded unexpectedly and backed off.

"I came back for you," Naruto pointed out, his heart pounding loudly. He tried to calm it down, it just probably made the vampire even hungrier. "And -"

"Shut up and go to sleep," Sasuke commanded him, and once again covered him with the blanket. The blonde did a round of breathe-ins and breathe-outs, trying to soothe his racing mind. "I mean it," the vampire stated in a tired voice. "You're useless when you're tired."

* * *

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes, at first surprised that it didn't help much - he still couldn't see anything. Then he remembered  _why_ and frowned in anger. He breathed in the air - he could smell mostly Naruto and the cave. There was also a faint scent of woods, and wet soil - it had to rain outside. The villagers were nowhere to be found. Sasuke let out a relieved sigh, and shook up the blonde, whose head was resting on his shoulder.

"...how is everything?" the man asked in a sleepy voice. He seemed to feel much better than he did on the previous day.

"Everything's fine," he informed him, and looked for the flint and tinder in his satchel. He lit up the torch, and eyed Naruto who was rubbing his face, evidently trying to wake himself up.

"I'm hungry," he complained and stood up, stretching his legs and arms.

"Me too," Sasuke replied and smiled, seeing the flustered look on the blonde's face. "We'll be out of here in a couple of hours," he stated calmly. "And then you'll be three hours away from Konoha -"

"You're not coming with me?" Naruto asked stupidly. "We would rest at Sakura's and then we could plan our next move-"

"I'm doing better on my own, thank you very much," Sasuke interrupted him. The blonde frowned at him, rubbing the back of his head. His dirty hair was sticking in every possible direction.

"You'd have to find a new territory for yourself," he pointed out. "It's not like you could do it in one day," he added. "I mean, they could be already taken, and-"

"If it wasn't for you, then I'd be able to stay where I was. And stop with this territorial crap," he complained. He was sick and tired of being talked about as if he was an animal.

"I know it's my fault and that's why I'm trying to fix it," Naruto protested, and followed him, pouting his lips at the brunette. "And I'm sorry Sasuke , but you guys  _are_ territorial. Did you see what that vampiress did to my neck? She bit out the part you had bitten, and practically marked me-"

"Maybe  _she_ wasn't a sharing kind of person," the brunette retorted. "It doesn't mean that others-"

"Sasuke, there's no need for vampires to form any kind of community. You're competing against each other for food," Naruto stated as if he was reciting something he had learned a long time ago. The brunette stopped abruptly, almost dropping the torch as the idiot bumped into him. "Ow," he whined.

"And this Sakura person won't mind me?" he inquired, feeling all of his strengths leaving him. He was in deep shit.

"No, I'm certain that she will be fine with it," the blonde exclaimed merrily.

* * *

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" Sakura screamed at Naruto, who wished for the ground to open up and swallow him. The woman glared daggers at him, sitting in front of him with her arms folded. The blonde glanced at Sasuke, who stared at the two with his eyes wide open. Sakura didn't even want to sit in the same room as he did until the blonde grabbed him by the collar as if he was a dog. The brunette didn't like it.

"Sakura, it's just a temporary-"

"You came here well aware of the fact that you're wanted, and you brought a damn vampire with you," she growled. Naruto smiled at her sheepishly. She was right. He did both of those things.

"Sasuke's friendly," he murmured. The man chose that particular moment to snort, and the blonde wanted to strangle him.

"Then what is that on your neck?" she questioned, ripping of the bandages, and studying his injuries. She wasn't a gentle one. On the other hand, she was the best healer he knew about, and she was his friend.

"That was the other vampire," he explained, wincing in pain as the woman started to clean his wounds. "And Sasuke actually killed her, he saved my life," he added. Sakura stared at the brunette with a puzzled expression on her face.

"...thanks," she muttered. "I'm still angry at you," she hissed at Naruto. "I'll have to cut this open and sew it, these wounds don't heal too well," she whispered. "But first you two should take a bath, you smell as you've crawled through a gutter," she mused with a wrinkled nose.

* * *

Sasuke realized that for the first time in forever he was actually warm. The woman helped them prepare a bath, and allowed them to stay in her house. She was even nice enough to close the shutters of her study, and bring them two pallets. He knew that they wouldn't be able to stay with her for a very long time - it would just put the woman in danger - but it was a welcome change. Sakura was standing behind Naruto and pulling something out of his neck with tweezers. The blonde was wincing in pain, and blood was oozing out of his freshly opened wounds. Sasuke closed his eyes, trying to focus on something else but he could still smell it.

He didn't eat much for the last few days, and he was quite certain that he wouldn't be able to go on like that for much longer. He got startled when the blonde pulled his arm.

"Don't suck me dry," Naruto joked, and supplied him with his hand. The brunette eyed him, feeling suspicious. "Sakura will heal me," he added. The woman frowned at that comment but she shrugged her shoulders as if it didn't really matter whether the blonde would get more injured or not.

Sasuke grabbed the brown arm, and bit into it. He preferred to bite neck, the flow was much steadier, but he didn't want to mutilate it further. The warm blood was slowly filling his mouth, and he took the first gulp. He opened his eyes, and glanced at Naruto, who seemed dizzy. Sasuke sighed mentally and stopped. The man was in no shape to feed him.

"Already?" the blonde questioned in a strained voice. "I know that you haven't eaten for days-"

"I'll be fine," he interrupted the man, and left the tub. He would need to go on a hunt later that night.


	3. Road

"He's still not coming back," Naruto complained, refraining himself from hissing with pain when Sakura was stitching him up. Sasuke disappeared over four hours before, and it would dawn in two more.

"What's the deal with you and him anyway?" Sakura inquired. She had to be dead tired. She had spent the night healing him, and Naruto didn't even know that there was so much to fix. She had to cut open his shin and neck, clean the wounds, and stitch them back. Apparently vampires and ghouls' saliva really was bad for one's skin.

"He saved my life twice," Naruto chuckled. "I guess I didn't get much better since Gaara's..." he stopped mid-sentence. Sakura's features softened as she patted his shoulder reassuringly. "And I was acting like a jerk," he said. "I literally tied him up and forced him to come with me-"

"Maybe he doesn't want to come back," the woman interrupted him. Naruto smiled at her faintly. She didn't even know that he had done something much worse.

"He left his stuff in the study," the blonde whispered. "He will come back."

* * *

 

Naruto panicked when he realized that Sasuke didn't come back. He kept lurking through the windows but it soon lost its point - it was already day. He felt as if something punched him in the stomach. Sakura was staring at him worryingly. She knew what it could mean - Sasuke could had been already caught or killed.

"I'm sorry," she murmured apologetically. Naruto inhaled deeply. He hated when she was saying that she was sorry. She used that phrase only in case of someone's death.

"I have to find him," he decided. Sakura frowned.

"That's insane. Konoha is a small town, people will see you-"

"I won't come back," the blonde promised, packing his and Sasuke's things.

"You need to rest," she opposed. "And he might be already dead-"

"Or he might be still alive," he pointed out. Sakura sighed wearily, stuffing his linen bag with ointments and bandages. Naruto grinned at her and kissed her cheeks. "I'll be fine," he declared. "You know me."

* * *

 

Naruto left her house, his baggage considerably heavier - the woman gave him some money, a map of the Fire Country, and some food. He rubbed his cheeks, and rushed towards the market - if Sasuke had been caught and tied to a stake, his corpse would be there.

Naruto walked with his head hanging low, hoping that nobody will recognize him. He already saw a wanted poster of himself on the notice board. Luckily, his charges weren't very serious so the reward was rather small. Unfortunately, when the guild will learn about what he had done -and it will learn it in the next few days - he will get written into other mercenaries' bingo books. And by then catching him will become profitable. The guild had a reputation to uphold.

Naruto glanced at the town square and sighed with relief - it was empty save for citizens who were busy with their lives. It meant that Sasuke was either not caught or - what would be rather improbable but still possible - he was caught but he wasn't recognized as a vampire. Naruto headed towards the town's arrest, trying to not raise anyone's suspicions. He paced near the cells, lurking through the bars. Two of the three cells were empty, and in the third one the prisoner was some old drunkard. Naruto smiled to himself - it meant that Sasuke was able to leave the town. The vampire had told him and Sakura that he was going to hunt - the most obvious choice would be the woods through which they had already passed.

Naruto left the town the same road he had used to enter it, and started to look for Sasuke's footprints in the snow. It was already an hour after the dawn. The blonde entered the woods, feeling rather hopeless. Too many people had walked that road, and finding Sasuke seemed impossible. Naruto clenched his fists. He was wandering through the woods aimlessly, going further into it. The tall evergreens were growing very close to one another, and there was almost no snow on the ground.

"...ruto?"

The blonde turned his head at the sound of quiet, throaty whimper.

"Sasuke," he shouted, trying to reach the source of the voice.

He gulped nervously, finding the vampire hidden behind a fallen tree trunk. His eyes seemed blind, his skin was partially melted and red. Blood was dripping from his nose and mouth. Sasuke winced in pain, and the blonde watched in horror as a part of his cheek started to regenerate just to burn again. The man was squeezing the pouch with the crystal. Naruto dropped his sack on the ground and took out a blanket with which he covered the brunette's wounded body. He stuck his spear into the soil, not caring about the fact that it will rust, and built a makeshift tent with the remaining blankets and a cloak. He entered it, and kneeled next to Sasuke. He lifted the blanket, and studied his face. It started to heal. The man was panting heavily, hushed pained moans escaping his lips. Naruto removed his fingers from the pouch.

"I don't want you to crush it accidentally," he whispered. The brunette whined loudly, and Naruto shoved his arm into the vampire's mouth. "Bite it if you believe that it will relieve the pain," he offered. "You can't scream, though. We are not too far from the road," he said apologetically.

Sasuke bit into his arm, hardly interested in his blood. His skin was rebuilding, and it was a rather ugly sight. Naruto cleared his throat, watching in horror as the vampire's eye became all bloody just to return to its usual inkiness. Pale skin was regrowing, and one black eye locked with the blonde's blue ones. It seemed mad. The man was biting Naruto's left arm mindlessly, his jaws clenching on the flesh.

"I still need that arm," the blonde whispered. "You can't just chomp it off," he said and forced a little laugh. He wasn't even certain whether Sasuke was still there. He brushed the black bangs from the man's hot and wet forehead, noticing in relief that Sasuke was almost healed. It was a bliss because Naruto wouldn't be able to refrain himself from pained screeches for much longer. The man didn't relax his jaws muscles, and the blonde's arm started to feel numb.

"Sasuke," he pleaded. "Just let me know if you're still fine."

The other black eye started to regenerate. Naruto frowned in disgust, simultaneously trying to come up with a plan. If Sasuke was still himself, then they would need to stay where they were until the dusk. If he wasn't... He would need to kill him and escape. He couldn't really allow himself to stay so close to Konoha. The blonde leaned forward.

"Sasuke," he repeated. The man let go off of his limb.

"...I'm here," he rasped, breathing heavily. He gasped when Naruto embraced him tightly. Another loud grunt escaped his lips.

"Don't scream, bite," the blonde ordered him, wincing in pain when the vampire bit his neck, probably ruining Sakura's work. The bites seemed random, not aimed at his veins and arteries. He didn't bleed much. "What happened?" he inquired after the brunette seemed to calm down.

"I miscalculated," Sasuke whispered into his ear. His skin started to cool off, and Naruto never would had guessed that he would be happy because of that. "...thanks," he added quietly. "When do you plan to back off?" he questioned, smirking nastily. The blonde sighed wearily and plopped on the cold ground next to him.

"We're in deep shit," he chuckled. He noticed that Sasuke opened his mouth, probably to disagree with him, so he repeated himself. "We are," he stated firmly. The brunette eyed him questioningly. "We can't go back to Sakura. And I would normally tell you to go to sleep but your nose is everything we have right now," he sighed. "And when the night will come, we'll have to set out," he concluded. "And I don't know about you but I'm exhausted," he laughed bitterly.

* * *

 

Sasuke stared at the man, who apparently went out of his way to find him. He was certain that he wouldn't make it. At one point he was even grateful that he was marked, and that he would be able to end his suffering in a much quicker and less painful way. He didn't crush the crystal only because there was still something he had planned to do, and he couldn't had given up on life only because of little pain.

The brunette wiped his face off of blood, and rubbed his eyelids, trying to force himself awake. He was tired - even though he was finally able to quench his thirst, regenerating his burnt skin and eyes cost him a lot of strengths.

"You don't have to stay awake," he told Naruto, who gaped at him stupidly. "There's no point in both of us being useless," he added, resting his back against hard roots and damp soil. It was rather uncomfortable in there.

"I was actually counting on you being the less useless one," the blonde chuckled under his breath. Sasuke rolled his eyes, smiling softly. The moron's body was radiating comforting heat, something his own forgot how to do. At first getting used to always being cold seemed impossible. Naruto cleaned his neck and arm with water from his goatskin. The brunette felt somewhat guilty - he had torn the blonde's sleeve. He watched him take out a glass vial out of his travel bag, and suddenly the only thing he could smell was arnica and aloe vera. Naruto smeared the mush over the bite marks, and bandaged them. Sasuke frowned - he didn't use to do that before.

"It smells like pharmacy in here," he complained. "You've just rendered my nose useless."

"Sorry," Naruto replied absentmindedly. "It should stop smelling so strongly in a while. It seems that your saliva is causing skin irritation or something," he laughed.

"...why did you come back for me?" Sasuke questioned.

"Well, someone had to," the blonde answered and yawned. Sasuke frowned; he felt dismissed.

" _Why_ ," he hissed. Naruto side-eyed him with a puzzled expression on his face.

" _You_  came back for me, so it only seemed fair," he mumbled out. The brunette sighed in defeat. Talking with the moron wasn't making him less tired.

"What happened to heroes kill monsters bullshit?"

"You're not a monster, you're Sasuke," Naruto stated calmly as if it was self-evident. The brunette stared at him with his eyes opened wide. "So nothing really happened to it, I was just wrong before."

"Go to sleep," Sasuke ordered him, staring at the spear that was standing between their curled up shins. He wished for it to be gone.

* * *

 

"Could you please-" Naruto stopped mid-sentence, refraining himself from finishing the phrase with shut up. He was pretty sure that Sasuke would remind him about when he wanted to gag him.

"Could I what?" the vampire growled. The blonde inhaled deeply, trying to convince himself that the man was moody because he didn't get enough sleep.

"Be less infuriating," Naruto replied, wincing in surprise when he felt something cold and wet hit the back of his head. He felt snow fall behind the collar of his hood. The blonde turned towards Sasuke, who eyed him tauntingly, throwing another snowball at him. It hit his face, making his cheeks sting from cold. Naruto dropped his sack and spear on the ground, and charged at the brunette, who didn't react fast enough. He jumped at him, making both of them fall into a snowdrift.

"That hurt," Sasuke complained. Naruto grabbed a fistful of snow and rubbed it into the pale cheeks. The man spat out the snow at him, and pinched his ear, forcing him to retreat. Sasuke rose to his feet in one quick movement and made another snowball. The blonde laughed at him heartily, still lying on the cold ground. The vampire walked up to him, visibly disappointed by his unwillingness to fight.

"We didn't get lost because of me," Naruto stated peacefully, standing up, and brushing the snow out of his clothes and hair. His fleece hat got buried in the snowdrift.

"You can't read map," the brunette hissed accusingly. "We've walked past that tree at least four times by now," he added angrily.

"Then you do it," the blonde whined, took out the parchment from his sack, lifted the little lantern and shoved them into the man's hands.

"I can't read," Sasuke growled back, eying the map. Naruto stared at him with a puzzled expression on his face. It had to irritate the vampire because he was once again thrown a snowball at. This time he was able to dodge it, which made Sasuke mad.

"I wouldn't have guessed," he whispered, and stood next to him. He couldn't see much in the faint light. "This dot here is Konoha," he said. "And this is the forest we're in. And we're heading North, so we should've reached these mountains but we keep missing them," he explained. It was rather baffling. Never before had he any problems with finding the right route.

"This isn't very useful," Sasuke huffed. "I don't even see any mountains."

"Because it's dark," the blonde retorted. "I'll look for the right way when I'll be able to see anything," he added begrudgingly.

"I don't even smell any mountains," Sasuke said unexpectedly. "There are just woods in here."

Naruto stared at him, not really knowing how to respond to that. They were walking for almost seven hours in a more or less straight line. They shouldn't be so far away from the range.

"Maybe there's something wrong with the map," he pondered. The vampire leaned towards him.

"What if there isn't?" he asked in a hushed voice. Naruto glanced at him, suddenly realizing what he had meant. There were many monsters that would try to hunt them by making them believe that they had lost their way. They were usually too weak to just attack, and would try to weaken their prey before.

"We should set our camp," he whispered. Sasuke nodded his head. The blonde cleared the ground from the snow and made a tent out of two blankets. He wished he wouldn't need to do that. The nights were pretty cold. He would never stop missing all the equipment he had left in that god forsaken village.

* * *

 

Sasuke sighed wearily, feeling cold. The idiot stayed outside, melting snow on a fire. When he entered the tent again, he had a mint brew in his mug. The brunette covered himself with the blanket, simultaneously trying to find out what was trying to kill them. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to smell anything. Naruto sat next to him, resting his back against Sasuke's.

"You go to sleep, and I'll take care of the monster," he whispered.

"Do you know what it is?" the brunette inquired.

"A vila would've already attacked us," Naruto answered. "And we're not in the mountains yet... I have no idea. Whatever it is, it's patient and too weak to attack us directly," he added, sipping on his warm drink. "Maybe it's hurt and lost."

Sasuke flinched in surprise when he felt the blonde crawl under the blanket and snuggle to him.

"What are you doing?" he asked in a grave tone.

"I thought you could use some warmth," the man chuckled softly, embracing his waist. Sasuke couldn't help but savor the heat the other male's body was producing. "...I didn't know that vampires could get boners," the idiot laughed merrily, making Sasuke cringe in embarrassment.

"Get lost," he growled, burying himself under the blanket. Naruto pulled him closer, huffing hot puffs of air into the nape of his neck.

"We're already lost," he snickered. "And hey, don't worry, just jack off or something," he suggested innocently. Sasuke elbowed him in the stomach. "Sasuke, I mean it. We're sharing an extremely small space, it's not like we have a luxury of privacy," he stated in a serious tone.

"I'm not jacking off while you're lying behind me," the brunette protested. He heard Naruto giggle.

"You'll change your mind," he replied. Sasuke moved uncomfortably, his dick almost painfully swollen with blood. "Anyway, I was thinking that we may travel really far up North - days are shorter there," he said. "And there's much less people so-"

"I need people," Sasuke pointed out.

"You'll have me," the blonde stated cheerfully. He didn't seem too concerned about the monster that was hunting them. Naruto yawned into his back. "So we'll be able to wait everything out. I was thinking about leaving the Fire Country..."

Sasuke cleared his throat. He didn't want to leave the Fire Country. On the other hand, he was well aware of the fact that his situation wasn't the best. He had to rely on Naruto, and that was rather depressing. The blonde shuddered with cold, clinking his teeth. Sasuke sighed heavily, knowing that he definitely wasn't helping.

"Sasuke," the blonde exclaimed for no reason at all. "How often do you get boners?" he inquired, and skillfully dodged a fist the vampire sent his way. "It's important," he insisted.

"...why would that be important?" the brunette questioned, rubbing his cold nose.

"Because I would like to have sex with you as well-" he stopped mid-sentence, massaging his now swollen lip. Sasuke was finally able to smack his stupid face. "...and I think that it's because of that thing," he concluded in an angry voice.

The brunette stared at the moron questioningly, wondering what was more offensive - the bluntness with which Naruto declared that he would like to sodomize him or the fact that he decided that it had to be something unnatural.

"Sasuke, just answer the damn question," he demanded. The vampire turned his face towards him, intending to beat some sense into the idiot but he found himself unable to do so. Suddenly, the cramped space they were sharing felt ridiculously too big. He wanted to close the almost non-existent distance between their bodies. The blonde was panting heavily, his warm fingers gently rubbing Sasuke's side.

"We need to leave this tent," the vampire murmured in horror, barely refraining himself from kissing the mint-smelling lips. Naruto slowly nodded his head in agreement, and brushed his fingers through the black hair, cupping Sasuke's face with his other hand. The brunette jumped in his spot, and forced himself to break the contact. He crouched in an awkward manner. It seemed that the moron was right. "If it's some creature's fault... then how do we kill it?" he asked in a panicked tone, ignoring the bulge in his pants.

"It's probably blud," Naruto informed him, tucking his hands under his armpits. Sasuke copied the gesture, deciding that any additional restraint was a welcomed one. "They're not very dangerous but it won't attack us until it believes that we're dead tired."

"We are dead tired right now," Sasuke pointed out. "How do we make it come out?"

Naruto sat up, and massaged his temples, visibly trying to remember something. The brunette felt weak - he could smell that the other male's body got insanely hot, and he could hear his heart thump in the brown chest. Sasuke exhaled loudly, trying to calm down his mind.

"Let's spar," the blonde suggested. Sasuke shot the mercenary a questioning look. It didn't seem like a very good idea. "I can't think straight," Naruto complained. "I've never fought one," he added. "And if we were to actually fuck-" he tried to mumble but the brunette pressed his hand into the man's mouth. The blue eyes glared daggers at him. "-we wouldn't stop," he concluded incoherently.

"I don't want to fuck you," the vampire whined. Naruto rolled his eyes at him, and Sasuke once again felt offended for an absurd reason. "Let's spar," he agreed hastily.

They left the tent, and faced each other. They had still at least three hours until the dawn. Sasuke breathed in the cold air, bracing himself for the fight. Naruto cracked his knuckles, and the brunette's mind went blank. He was barely able to defend himself from the blonde's charge. The ground was slippery from snow, and he practically skated forward, trying to take advantage from the opening the idiot created. Naruto pirouetted in place, and thrusted the cutlass towards Sasuke's face. The brunette fell back on his ass, realizing that the fight seemed much more serious than one would expect from a training. He kicked the man's ankle, making him slip and land on all fours.

"...this isn't helping," Naruto laughed, and lay on ground, shoving his face into the snowy mud. Sasuke eyed him, hoping that he won't catch a cold. It would be just another problem, and he didn't have time nor want to babysit a sick moron. He kicked him lightly in the thigh, ushering him to get up. The brunette frowned, seeing his dirty face. "We could run in circles or roll in the snow," the idiot suggested.

"Why would a blud make us want to fuck one another?" Sasuke questioned, dismissing silly propositions.

"I've told you, we wouldn't stop, and we would probably collapse out of exhaustion," the blonde muttered, wiping his wet face. Somehow, he didn't stop being attractive even with mud in his hair.

"You would've collapsed first," Sasuke uttered, wondering how they could solve their problem. Naruto pouted lips at him. "Stab me," he ordered.

"...are you an idiot?" the blonde asked seriously.

"If you'll stab me, I'll have to regenerate. Then I'll feed on you and we'll be both useless," he stated calmly. Naruto sighed with irritation, unsheathing his cutlass. Sasuke didn't like the idea of being stabbed. He knew that it would hurt as hell.

"I can't just  _stab_  you," the blonde whined, and dropped the cutlass to the ground. "Besides, what if it'll attack while you're regenerating? Or what if it's not a blud?"

"What else could it be?" the vampire asked in a defeated voice. The blonde escaped with his gaze, and Sasuke got annoyed. He pointed his sword at his side, wondering whether he would be able to come through with his plan. Probably not.

"Stop it," Naruto demanded. "You could feed on me, and I would knock you out afterwards. Then the blud should attack, and I'll deal with it," he declared.

"You're  _not_  knocking me out again," Sasuke hissed in an agitated tone. "Wait, what if it's weaker than we are?" he inquired.

"You mean..." the blonde mused, rubbing the back of his head.

"I mean that this thing needs to eat, and perhaps there's no need for making ourselves weaker," the vampire grunted. "Or I could knock you out and treat you as a bait. It's probably not interested in me anyways-"

"Let's not knock each other out," Naruto interrupted him. "We  _could_  wait for it to get tired and desperate but I don't know how long it would take," he complained. "And we don't even know where we are... I mean, the first time we've walked past that tree was like three hours ago. But I guess that we could at least try to wait it out" he mumbled out.

* * *

 

Naruto stared at the tent wall. They were lucky that it wasn't raining. It was still night and he was supposed to get some sleep before he would have to exchange places with Sasuke, who was strongly against lying anywhere near him as long, as the blud was hunting them. The blonde knew that a short nap would be better than nothing but he wasn't able to fall asleep. He was fidgeting on the evergreens branches he had put on the ground to isolate the cold, wishing to be still at Sakura's place. It was warm and soft in there. He sighed wearily.

"What is it?" Sasuke inquired. From what Naruto suspected, the man was sitting next to the fireplace, probably trying to warm himself up.

"Why did you kill yourself?" he asked, and went outside, giving up on sleeping. The vampire glared daggers at him, and Naruto wasn't certain whether he was more pissed off because of the question or the fact that he dared to sit next to him. "We're just aroused, I'm not going to throw myself at you," he muttered under his breath, staring at the crackling fire.

"I'm going to sleep," Sasuke decided, and went into the tent. The blonde chuckled merrily. "What kind of question was that?" he questioned angrily, going back to the fire, and plopping next to Naruto.

"Personal, I guess," the blonde stated calmly. Only those who committed suicide would change into vampires. Almost every monster that used to be human had a sin. Sasuke side-eyed him.

"I didn't kill myself," he growled, throwing a damp branch into the fire. Naruto blinked furiously as the smoke flew into his direction. Smoke generally had a tendency to follow Naruto.

"Maybe you just don't remember," the blonde suggested. "Did you like cheese?"

"...I don't know, why?" Sasuke asked, staring at him as if he was a complete idiot. "Is there some kind of correlation between liking cheese and-"

"No, I was just curious," Naruto smiled at him warmly. "Some vampires just don't remember their last moments," he added. They were sitting in an uncomfortable silence. The blonde would gladly start another round of small talk but Sasuke didn't seem even slightly interested in it. Also, he realized that he needed to really focus to not break his promise about not throwing himself at the other man. He wondered whether he would have similar problems if he had his horse with him. After all, he and Sasuke were two different species as well. Naruto shook his head in disgust, deciding that it was rather improbable.

"I don't remember anything," the brunette confessed unexpectedly.

"I've told you that forgetting your last moments-"

"I don't remember  _anything_ ," Sasuke repeated in an irritated tone. Naruto glared at him. "I mean..." he started speaking again, this time in a hushed tone. "There are some bits and pieces. I know my name, I think. And I remember some people who were probably my family... I don't know," he exclaimed, evidently giving up on remembering. The blonde tried to pat his shoulder in a manner that wouldn't imply he wanted to ravish the male. He wished they could have this conversation under more fitting circumstances. The brunette tensed under his touch, and he took his hand away.

"Where did you wake up?" he inquired, trying to solve the riddle.

"Near that village. But I don't remember anyone from there. And nobody ever recognized me," he said in a defeated tone. Naruto sighed heavily. It seemed that they wouldn't be able to uncover the mystery with what Sasuke already knew. If they were, Sasuke would had probably done that by now.

"Maybe we will learn more-"

"Shut it," the brunette ordered him quietly, looking around. Naruto grabbed his cutlass, and placed himself behind Sasuke, reading himself for an attack. "It's gone," he whined.

"Can you track it down?" the blonde asked almost inaudibly.

"I'm not a dog," the vampire complained. "Besides, if we leave this area, we might get locked in another one, and I don't like the idea of not having an access to the tent," he added angrily. Naruto nodded his head, silently agreeing with him. "How does this thing look like?"

"It's usually a young person," the blonde informed him. People, who were killed by the ones they were in love with, would become bluds. They were rather vengeful and cruel creatures, albeit not really dangerous if the victim was a trained warrior. "And its body should be decomposed, I mean... they don't regenerate, they aren't even alive anymore. It's like a puppet animated by a really angry puppeteer," he said.

"So it's basically a ghost-"

"That's debatable," Naruto interrupted him. Sasuke shot him a disappointed stare. Many scholars were rejecting the idea of ghosts, and the blonde could see why. The concept seemed quite absurd. The spirit would vanish after leaving the body. The only problem was that sometimes it didn't want to leave it. "But if it tried to attack us now then perhaps it's already desperate..."

"You scared it off with a weapon," the brunette stated accusingly, his face uncomfortably close. Naruto tried to recall how it looked like when it was melted. It allowed him to regain his focus.

"Sasuke," he started but wasn't allowed to finish.

Something hard hit him in the temple, tearing some of his skin. He couldn't see anything with his left eye because of the blood that was gushing out of the wound. With his right one he saw that the vampire licked his lips, his black eyes gaping hungrily at him. Naruto smacked him in the arm, forcing the man to come back to reality, and turned towards the direction from which the thing - a rock - was thrown at him. He noticed a movement, and rushed there. Sasuke headed slightly up North. Perhaps they would be able to encircle the damn thing.

It was dark, and Naruto couldn't see much among the trees. Relying on his intuition, he moved forward, hearing quick steps coming his way. It was probably the vampire - Sasuke  _knew_  where the blud was. His tibia exploded in pain. He gritted teeth, and swung the cutlass blindly, hoping that it will land on the creature. It hit  _something_. He charged forwards, and almost caught the thing with his left hand. The blud's body was hard but its surface would break easily. It was probably partially mummified. He thrusted with his weapon again, hearing it cut through a fabric and something dry. His head felt dizzy, and his stomach sick. He was probably losing too much blood. Naruto cursed himself for not wearing a helmet, and pushed the creature towards a tree. It didn't make any noise - it couldn't, after all, it didn't breathe. Sasuke caught up to them, and made the final blow.

The blud's head and arm fell to the ground. Naruto dropped to his knees, and vomited. He was somewhat glad that he had decided to drink the mint brew.

"Are you-"

Naruto wasn't able to register the rest of what Sasuke had said. His mind went blank.

* * *

 

When he woke up, he was in the tent, his head bandaged tightly. He turned on his side, and smiled, seeing the brunette lying next to him and staring at him hatefully.

"You're an idiot," the man decided, and rubbed his eyelids. He had dark circles under his eyes. Naruto wasn't especially surprised. The vampire didn't sleep for over two days.

"Did you-"

"I've burnt the body, and, just so you know, it didn't want to burn" Sasuke interrupted him in an irritated voice. "Could you do your thing at least  _once_?" Naruto wanted to reply him but the man didn't stop talking. "You're useless, I don't even know how you managed to catch me back in the days, and, frankly, the fact that you  _did_  manage to do that is depressing," he perorated incoherently.

"I'll try to not hurt your self esteem again," the blonde promised. "But I would've killed that blud by myself," he added.

"Like hell you would," Sasuke disagreed firmly, ready to throw another tantrum.

"Go to sleep, Sasuke," Naruto told him. "You're tired."

"Don't patronize me," the vampire hissed. The blonde pinched his cold cheek, and shut his eyes close, seeing a fist flying his way. It didn't hit its target, it just stopped mid-motion. Sasuke sighed tiredly, and turned his back to Naruto.

"I'll try to find the right way," he said, leaving the tent. The brunette just grunted at him, and he chuckled. Somehow, whiny Sasuke stopped annoying him. Naruto looked around, seeing that the sun was already high. It would dusk in four or five hours. He rubbed his forehead, deciding that he would let the vampire sleep longer. He would deal with his complaints about losing precious time later.


	4. Rest

Naruto stared at the crackling fire. It was already night, and he was sore from sitting in the cold. He leaned forward, and poked a burning log with a stick, trying to guess whether Sasuke would get more pissed off if he was woken up or if he was to wake up on his own. Naruto shrugged, deciding that he would much rather have the vampire crawl out from the tent and stab him in the back than to go there himself and watch the brunette's face glow with killing intent when he realizes Naruto let him sleep in.

The blonde yawned, forcing himself into being awake. He hoped that he would stop being as sleepy when they would start walking. He had scouted the area, and was able to spot the mountain in the distance. It appeared that they had wasted a lot of time the day before. The blonde smiled to himself, grateful that he had Sasuke with him. His journey became easier and safer. And he wasn't as bored and lonely as he had been before. Naruto would never say that aloud but he started to like Sasuke. The vampire was constantly acting as if the mercenary was nothing but a burden but he would still take care of him whenever there was such a need. And Naruto liked to believe that Sasuke took a liking to him as well. Otherwise the fact that he kept on talking with him would be unexplainable.

Naruto frowned. The longer he thought about the vampire's memory loss, the more sure he was that it would be for the best if the memories remained lost. Whatever had happened in Sasuke's life, it made him kill himself. And there was a chance that the only reason why Sasuke was saner than the other vampires was that he couldn't recall a thing.

His knees were getting unpleasantly hot, and his back was cold. The blonde sighed, and lay next to the fire, closing his eyes. He wished they could rent a room in some inn, and finally rest. He needed a hot bath, warm meal and soft bed.

* * *

 

The blonde shook his head, realizing that he had dozed off. Something pointy was poking his cheek. He gulped nervously, staring at two people. He recognized one of them - it was Zabuza, a mercenary from a rival guild.

"And what do we have here," the man mused happily. Naruto glanced at the tent, hoping that Sasuke wasn't found. Zabuza's companion, a rather young woman kicked the tent, making it collapse. It was empty. The blonde sighed in relief, glad that the vampire was able to escape. He eyed the tall man. "There's a reward for you," Zabuza said, swinging his ridiculously big sword at the blonde.

Naruto rolled away from it, unsheathing his cutlass in one swift motion. He knew that he wouldn't stand a chance of blocking Zabuza's weapon. Its sheer weight would break his block. He glanced at the woman, who was already running towards him with a dagger in her hand. Naruto jumped back just in time to dodge her attack. He almost tripped over Zabuza's sword. There was no way he could fight them both at once.

"Haku, be careful, we agreed on seizing him," the man laughed. "But I guess we can hurt him," he added smugly.

Naruto charged at the woman, deciding that he would need to knock one of them out to even stand a chance against Zabuza. The blonde gasped in shock when he saw a familiar blade pierced through the woman's chest from behind her. He raised his eyes, meeting Sasuke's black ones. The vampire pushed the woman's body off his sword. It fell on the ground; she was coughing, a pool of blood was forming around her. Naruto looked over his shoulder, noticing Zabuza's terrified face. He felt sorry for him, he knew very well how it felt to lose a companion. Sasuke shoved him towards the man, visibly irritated because of his stillness. The brunette encircled Zabuza, who screamed something incomprehensibly and ran towards him. Naruto was certain that the mercenary didn't plan to seize him anymore.

The blonde stared in horror as Sasuke tried to block Zabuza; the brunette fell on his knees, unable to withstand the swing. He pushed himself from the ground, escaping death. Naruto glared at him, wondering what happened to "I've never killed anybody." Sasuke had just killed a woman, and he was visibly ready to kill Zabuza as well.

"Are you going to start moving, idiot?!" Sasuke growled at him.

Naruto sprinted towards men, aiming his cutlass at Zabuza's unarmored calf. The man turned towards him, grabbing his huge sword in one hand, and swung it at Naruto, who was forced to back out. Zabuza shoved his other arm towards Sasuke, catching his sword in gloved hand and disarming the vampire. Sasuke gasped in shock when Zabuza thrusted a dagger into his neck. The brunette fell on his knees, wheezing in pain. Naruto watched the scene in horror. He wasn't ready to lose another companion.

The blonde jumped at Zabuza, finally able to hit him. He sliced through the man's thigh, leaving a shallow wound. The man let go off the dagger, and charged at Naruto. The blonde stepped right to move away from Sasuke's trembling body. He didn't know whether the vampire would be able to regenerate.

He aimed his weapon at the mercenary's legs but the man blocked him easily. Naruto saw out of the corner of his eye that the vampire tried to stand up; he still seemed shaken after the trauma. Zabuza must had noticed Naruto's stare because he turned around, and kicked Sasuke in the face, making him cough up blood. He was getting reckless.

"He's not human," Zabuza realized as he was raising his sword to deliver the final blow. Naruto growled angrily, and rushed to him, wanting to stab the back of his knee. He didn't want to kill the man - killing other mercenaries, even those from a rival guild, was forbidden. Zabuza punched his nose with a clenched fist without even looking at him. Naruto winced in pain but forced himself to keep going. He rolled under the man's blade and took a battling stance, wondering how in the hell would he block the swing. It seemed impossible. "Somehow, you always end up with monsters," the man muttered.

"I'll go with you if you'll leave him alone," he pleaded. Zabuza stopped moving, visibly surprised by Naruto's request.

"Do you really think that I still care about that shitty reward?" he inquired, and thrusted forwards. Naruto gasped in shock when he felt someone pull him out of the sword way. He fell on the cold, muddy ground, and watched in horror as the mercenary pierced Sasuke's side. The vampire winced in pain, and grabbed Zabuza's arm, forcing him to close the distance between them. The man's blade went right through him, its guard was touching the vampire's stomach. Sasuke's eyes almost rolled back into his skull but he somehow managed to grab Zabuza's head and try to snap it. He wasn't able to do that. Naruto stabbed the man from behind with his cutlass, cutting through the nape of his neck, and breaking his spine. The mercenary's body went limp and fell down. So did Sasuke's.

Naruto rushed towards the brunette, and pulled the sword out of his body. The man convulsed as the blonde lifted his tunic, eying the wound. He finally allowed himself to exhale when he saw it healing.

"I thought you'll die," he confessed, resting his head on Sasuke's shoulder. He could hear a faint pulse in his neck, and it was one of the most comforting sounds he had ever heard.

"I don't die easily," the vampire rasped, trying to laugh. He cursed under his nose when another spasm of pain went through his body. "Who were these guys?" he inquired after a longer while. He seemed tired but there was no mark left after the wound. Naruto pulled the tunic down to cover the man.

"Zabuza was a mercenary from the Mist guild but I don't know the woman," he answered, somewhat surprised by the fact that Sasuke didn't do anything to push him away. "It's my fault, I was supposed to keep watch."

"They were both men," the vampire corrected him absent-mindedly, raising his upper body on his elbows. "And I would say that we both screwed up since I didn't wake you up as well," he stated, looking around the fight scene. "I wanted to hunt, and when I came back it was almost too late," he added. Naruto crouched in front of him, somewhat surprised by the confession.

"You've said you never killed anybody but I didn't see you hesitate," he whispered. He didn't know what he should think about that. The vampire still seemed himself, no more dangerous than he was a week ago but, at the same time, he either lied or changed. Sasuke frowned at him.

"I would call all of my killings self-defense," he replied in a tired tone. "The vampiress, the blud, these guys, even those ghouls," he enumerated. Naruto arched his eyebrows, wondering why did the man include monsters on the list. He also realized that, besides the blud, Sasuke could had avoided all of the conflicts. It wasn't really a self-defense if he was trying to save Naruto. The blonde stood up and offered his arm to the vampire. Sasuke stared at it for a suspiciously long amount of time before he accepted his help, and rose to his feet as well, breaking the contact immediately afterwards. "These guys tied their horses over there, and it's possible that they have some equipment," he said.

Naruto frowned internally. He never would had supposed that he would steal from the dead. Sasuke didn't seem to have issues with it. He hunched his back, and followed the brunette, deciding that they had no other choice.

* * *

Sasuke was somewhat pissed off that they had lost so much time. They were barely able to reach the mountain Naruto was talking about. The blonde had decided that they should bury the dead - and Sasuke couldn't quite understand why it wasn't a necessity when he had killed the vampiress or the blud.

Luckily enough, they had found the mercenaries' horses and they had a lot of camping equipment. The horses seemed almost overpacked with it. They weren't able to dig proper graves but even a shallow one was better than nothing. Even if wolves were bound to dig the bodies out and scatter their parts and bones all over the woods.

Horses didn't accept Sasuke enough to let him ride them but they weren't panicking when he was just leading them. They were probably used to nonhuman scent. Naruto seemed disappointed that they wouldn't be able to move faster but at least they didn't need to carry anything.

It was first time since they had left Sakura's house that were to sleep under a normal tent. And they had enough blankets to keep themselves warm. Naruto was unusually quiet, he didn't try to initiate any conversation and was rather unresponsive when Sasuke talked to him.

Sasuke caught himself thinking that he started to care about the idiot. At first he tried to persuade himself that it was only because they needed one another for survival but it didn't seem quite true. Both of them would be able to survive without the other. And it wasn't even as convenient. Because of Sasuke, Naruto couldn't travel during daytime. Because of Naruto, Sasuke had to leave the Fire Country.

"Why did that guy said that you always end up with monsters?" he asked. The blonde turned on his side and stared at Sasuke with empty eyes. His moodiness was getting annoying.

"Well... You're a vampire," he said, visibly not interested in talking. Sasuke exhaled loudly, refraining himself from hitting Naruto.

"He said _always_ ," Sasuke growled. "I'm just one person."

The blonde frowned at him and rubbed his face. He was supposed to be sleeping but he was just fidgeting on his blanket. It would dawn in no time, and Sasuke was supposed to stay awake during the day so Naruto could finally rest.

"My former companion had a rather nasty reputation," he answered. The brunette stared at him expectedly, letting him know that he wanted a full answer. Naruto sighed in defeat. "He killed some people when he was younger-"

"Did you drag him on a leash as well?" Sasuke inquired. The blonde sent him a hurt look, and he started to feel stupid for asking the question. "...I know that you didn't," he muttered. He regretted trying to talk with the man. He should had shut up and let him sleep.

"...he was probably worse than you are," Naruto whispered. Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. He even forgot to get offended by the insinuation that there was something wrong with him. "He would sometimes lose control, and things would get messy... But he was a good friend," he sighed.

"So you don't talk to him anymore?" Sasuke questioned, lying on his back, and staring at the tent walls. Air smelled like rain. They were lucky that they had obtained a linen tent. At least they won't get wet.

"He's dead," Naruto replied in a strained tone. Sasuke gawked at the blonde.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I should've guessed that it was personal-"

"And I've said that we don't have the luxury of privacy," he interrupted Sasuke and let out a forced chuckle.

"I thought it applied only to masturbation," the brunette mused, hoping to get the idiot to smile sincerely.

"I believe it applies to everything," Naruto answered. "And there's no point in us having secrets from one another... I mean... Whom are we going to tell?" he snickered bitterly. Sasuke chuckled. The blonde was right. They had no-one they could talk to besides themselves.

"It could've been worse," he stated, and covered himself with a blanket. He didn't like spending his days like that but he was getting used to it.

"What could've been worse?" Naruto questioned.

"...you," the brunette said. The other man stopped breathing for a short while.

"...you're too not the worst," he joked after he regained his calm. Sasuke smiled to himself. It could had been much worse.

* * *

Naruto was sitting in the tent, listening to the rain outside. He hoped that the horses wouldn't get sick because of it. Sasuke was asleep. Naruto eyed the bundle - the brunette was usually still when he was sleeping.

"Hey," he whispered, noticing movement. The bundle didn't reply. Naruto sighed and returned to being bored. He raised an eyebrow when he heard a muffled gasp. "Is everything all right?" he asked. Sasuke didn't say anything again. The blonde crawled under the blanket and eyed the vampire's face. The man seemed to be bothered by something. Something unpleasant. He shook Sasuke awake. A scream escaped the man's lips. "What's going on?" Naruto inquired. The vampire stared at him, visibly flustered. The blonde rolled his eyes at him. "Are you feeling sick, were you having a bad dream or are you just uncomfortable?" he questioned.

"It was nothing," Sasuke replied. He inhaled loudly, and turned his back to Naruto.

"I don't believe you," he whispered and lay next to the man. He seemed warmer than normally. They didn't talk for another half an hour.

"I think I remembered something," the vampire muttered. Naruto blinked his eyes. He didn't expect him to say anything. "I think I killed someone," he added in a strained tone. "And I don't think it was a self-defense."

"It could've been just a dream," Naruto pointed out. While he understood why the man was so keen on finding out what had happened in his past, the mercenary was quite certain that it would be best if he didn't.

"...I guess," Sasuke agreed hesitantly. "But if it wasn't then perhaps I'll be able to remember it all," he said in a hushed voice.

"...why would you remember something now, after over two years?" the blonde asked. He felt terrible for making the man doubt himself but he didn't want him to lose himself.

"...it seems that I killed that person in the same way I've killed that man today," he replied. "It could've triggered something in my mind-"

"Or maybe you're just shocked after you've killed someone," Naruto interrupted him, blabbering incoherently. "I push it into the back of my mind now but after the first one I was terrified, I mean it's a big deal-"

"Naruto, I'm _happy_ , don't ruin it," he retorted. The blonde stopped mid-sentence, refraining himself from yelling at the man.

"Those memories give you nightmares, I don't know if it's something to be happy about," he uttered in a defeated voice. Sasuke turned on his other side, facing him. They were lying uncomfortably close to one another. The man's forearms and knees were touching his.

"There has to be something besides nightmare fuel," he said. Naruto frowned at him.

"If you've blocked almost everything out there's a chance that there _isn't_ ," he stated in an apologetic tone. Sasuke glared at him, visibly offended by something.

"You don't want me to remember," he realized. The vampire's face tensed in anger.

"I'm just worried," Naruto tried to defend himself. "Remembering may change you. You don't want to end up like that woman, do you?"

"I can give you that fucking crystal back if that's all you care about," Sasuke growled at him. The blonde gulped. He didn't want the crystal back. He wanted to forget that it even existed.

"It's not it," he protested.

"Naruto, there's nothing more to my life right now other than wanting to know what happened. I don't care if you'll need to kill me," the brunette hissed.

"I don't want to kill you!" Naruto yelled.

"Then don't, someone else will do it," Sasuke muttered and turned away, ignoring the blonde for the rest of the day.

* * *

"We could stay here for a couple of days," Naruto suggested, pointing at an abandoned post. They were already in the mountains. They had to use regular paths since they had horses with them, and they had encountered an empty building high in the mountains. In spring, summer and autumn people were using these posts as a place for storing food and necessary equipment. Shepherds were especially fond of them.

The vampire stared at him blankly. He was giving him a cold shoulder ever since the conversation about his memory loss, and it was already almost a week. And, despite Naruto's best efforts, Sasuke didn't seem less angry. If anything, he appeared even more irritated.

The blonde swallowed his pent up anger, and forced a smile on his face. He had already realized that reasoning with the vampire didn't bring good results. The man was just growing quieter and more distant.

"We're staying here," he declared, awaiting protest. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner, and forced the doors to the building open. Naruto frowned at that display of unnecessary aggression, and followed the man into the post. He almost leaped in joy when he noticed a bed in there. He quickly ran outside, and brought their baggage into the hut. They still didn't rummage through all of Zabuza and Haku's belongings. It was possible that they would be able to leave some of their stuff behind.

* * *

"Look, it's me," the idiot exclaimed merrily. Sasuke turned his head towards him and eyed the piece of paper that Naruto almost shoved into his face. He shrugged his shoulders, rather indifferent to the whole business. The blonde hunched his back in disappointment. "It says here that I need to be brought alive because they want to interrogate me," he added. Sasuke looked away. He didn't really care. "Sasuke, it's ridiculous, we're the only people we can talk to, and you refuse to do that," Naruto complained, resting his head on the table by which they were sitting. "You're just punishing me for caring about you," he hissed angrily. Sasuke stared at the man blankly. They clearly had different definitions of caring about someone. "Would you like it if I ignored you as well?" he questioned, piercing Sasuke with his blue eyes.

"Please, do," he muttered. He needed all of his strength to not smile with satisfaction when the blonde screamed incomprehensibly into the table. Unnerving him was quite easy.

He was still shaken after the dream. It was much more vivid than any other he had ever had. And the person he killed was one of the very few whose faces he could still recall. It was a young man, just a little bit older than he was. Probably a member of his family. He had no idea as to why did he kill him but the act made him feel disturbingly good. As if he was able to accomplish something he was waiting for his entire life.

What Naruto told him didn't bother him much. His existence was pretty much empty, and didn't even deserve to be called life. He was constantly hiding, and the only person he could talk with was a man who was supposed to hunt him.

"What if I helped you?" the moron offered, rubbing his cheeks. "Will you talk to me then?"

"Help me with what?" Sasuke inquired. Naruto let out a tired sigh. He looked like a martyr.

"With your memory loss," he grunted. "I have _some_ knowledge. Not that that topic has ever interested me - it's not very practical - but I know _something_. I might be able to help. And I will stop saying that it's a mistake - even if I believe it is."

"You just did" Sasuke pointed out. "You've just said that it's a mistake," he clarified, noticing Naruto's dumbfounded face. The blonde cursed under his breath.

"Consider it the last time," he promised, seeming rather unhappy.

"I don't need your help," Sasuke stated. The blonde sunk in himself, clearly disappointed. It appeared that he didn't have anything more he could bring to the table.

"Maybe you're hungry-"

"Stop trying to bribe me," Sasuke whined. Naruto head-butted the tabletop. Then he winced in pain because he hit himself too hard. The brunette almost let out a chuckle.

The mercenary stood up, and went outside. For a short while Sasuke was wondering whether the man would come back but he soon heard him chopping some wood, and relaxed. He wasn't as angry at Naruto as he had been at the beginning. He was still somewhat disappointed but he could see that the man probably didn't wish him anything bad.

"Look, I'm sorry," Naruto grunted when he came back with firewood in his arms. Sasuke sent him a faint smile.

"They made your nose look weird," he said, lifting the poster which the blonde left on the table. The mercenary beamed at him, and put some logs into the fireplace. While they knew that having fire was rather risky since the smoke would give out their location, they weren't quite able to deny it to themselves after being cold for so many days. They had agreed that they would only have it when Sasuke was awake so they would be able to run away.

"They did," Naruto agreed happily. "So, are you hungry or not?" he asked after sitting next to him.

Sasuke leaned closer to the blonde, who started to undo the bandages on his neck. The black eyes widened in surprise - it was already healed. He traced one of the scars with his finger, wondering what was Naruto's secret.

"So now you're into foreplay," the idiot muttered under his breath. Sasuke rolled his eyes, and bit the man. "And now you're being rough," Naruto laughed. The brunette frowned; the blood had a faint aftertaste of a herbal ointment, rather unpleasant. He removed his lips from the blonde's throat, and wiped off the wound. Then he started sucking on it again. He liked Naruto's blood. It was thick and somewhat sweet. Sasuke flinched when he felt a warm hand brush through his hair. He didn't want to stop yet. To his surprise, the blonde didn't pull him away. "I think I'm getting used to it," Naruto mused happily. "It still hurts but less. Maybe my skin is getting thicker," he pondered.

"It is," Sasuke admitted after swallowing a mouthful of blood. He straightened his back, admiring the new bite mark on the blonde's neck. He would be able to get rid of the vampiress's traces in no time. Sasuke shook his head, mentally slapping himself across the face for even thinking that. It would just mean that the idiot was right when he was claiming that he and other vampires were territorial. He wiped his face off of blood, noting that the brown hand was still buried in his hair. He stared at the blonde questioningly.

"You should wash your hair," Naruto stated decidedly. Sasuke frowned at him. "Actually, we should both clean ourselves. But I guess that the biggest thing we have in here is that pot," he complained, pointing at a metal pot hanging near the fireplace. One wouldn't be able to even stand in it. "God, I want to take a proper bath," he whined, and stood up, finally letting go of the brunette's hair. He went outside again, this time with a pot in his hand. When he returned, it was filled with snow. They watched it melt; Naruto had to bring more a couple of more times.

They cleaned themselves roughly, helping one another with their hair. Naruto seemed quite happy about it. Sasuke smiled at him as he was rinsing the soap out of his blond hair. The man stood bended forwards, with his head hanging over the pot, and Sasuke was pouring water on him from above, removing some of the foam with his fingers.

"If someone told me a year ago that I'll have a vampire friend, I would never believe them," Naruto laughed. "I still can't wrap my head around it," he mused.

"Why?" Sasuke asked. The blonde straightened his back, droplets of water falling on his muscular shoulders. The brunette noticed not without some satisfaction that he had more defined muscles. His eyes were absentmindedly following one of the drops that was tracing a line from Naruto's collarbone to his nipple.

"Well, I'm a mercenary. I'm not getting paid to befriend... vampires," he replied. Sasuke was certain that the word Naruto wanted to use initially was "monsters." He frowned at the blonde. "Anyways," he blabbered, seeming quite desperate to change topic, "it's nice in here, isn't it? Not very nice but, well, much better than out there in a cold-"

"Very nice," Sasuke interrupted the man, heaving a tired sigh. "We should probably wash our clothes," he muttered, eying his blood-stained tunic. Naruto had repaired it, and Sasuke was somewhat surprised to see how skillful the man was with a needle. He would argue that he was much better with it than with his spear.

"I guess," Naruto agreed. "At least now you won't complain that I forced you to undress yourself," he stated in a mocking tone. Sasuke glared at him, wondering what made the man believe that he was allowed to crack a joke about the beginning of their acquaintanceship.

"Not funny," he decided, and threw the clothes into the pot. "But since you like reminiscing so much, I'll let you wash these on your own," he muttered and lay on the bed. The mattress was rather hard, and they didn't find any straw to stuff it with. Nevertheless, it was still softer than ground. He gasped in surprise when he felt Naruto jump onto the bed next to him. His whole body flew a good inch into the air because of the impact.

"Sasuke," the man said, pulling Sasuke's bangs. The brunette frowned at him. "I'm not washing the clothes on my own. We're in it together, and I believe that while it's not perfect, it's still pretty good," he said in a warm voice. "We're neither cold nor hungry, nothing tries to kill us, and we're not alone," he stated. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the man. He was certain that the moron simply didn't want to wash their garments. He sighed and got up from the bed, deciding to help him out. After all, everything could had been much worse.

* * *

It was nice there in the hut. Naruto wished they could stay there forever. Sasuke was bringing a whatever animal he had hunted almost every day, and Naruto was taking care of the firewood and water. They were sparring each night, and made a habit of stars watching after the third day they had spent in there. The blonde once found Sasuke doing that, and decided to join him. Sometimes, he wondered whether the vampire didn't miss the day sky.

"I wish we had chickens," he mused, bundling himself up in a blanket. The vampire was sitting next to him on the roof, also bundled up. They had to look ridiculous.

"What do you need chickens for?" Sasuke asked in a dumbfounded voice, turning his head towards him. He seemed genuinely surprised.

"They would lay eggs... And I would kill for an egg," the blonde laughed. "I've never thought I'd say it but I'm getting tired of meat," he said.

"I still can't see why do you want to have chickens," the vampire snorted. "How do you imagine us traveling with chickens?" he questioned. Naruto frowned at him. The brunette was unnecessarily practical. "And don't you dare say that you would lead them on a leash," he growled and smacked Naruto in advance.

"We wouldn't be traveling, we would have them here," the blonde whined, rubbing his shoulder. "I would have a little garden-"

"Chickens would destroy your garden," Sasuke stated knowingly. "They would climb whatever fence you would build for them and pluck out each and every seed," he said.

Naruto pouted his lips at the other male, trying to stop them from curling upwards.

"Then you would be responsible for chickens," he said, and lay on the roof, watching the starry sky. He recognized some of the constellations but he didn't remember their names. Somehow, it never came in handy.

"I don't care about your chickens," Sasuke protested. "Besides, they wouldn't like me," he added, and also lay on the roof. Naruto turned his head to him, staring at the man's profile. He had a really nice nose. "They would probably die of heart attack the moment they would see me," he chuckled.

The blonde smiled at the vampire, who side-eyed him. He raised himself on his elbows and leaned over the brunette.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke questioned uncertainly, his lips just inches from Naruto's. The blonde felt a blush crawling up his cheeks. He got caught up in the moment.

"It's nothing," he replied, and hastily returned to his spot, his eyes glued to the sky. He could _feel_ that Sasuke was staring at him. "I don't think that chickens would die so easily," he blabbered.

"...I guess so," the vampire agreed reluctantly. "What were you trying to do?" he repeated the question.

"I thought you had something on your face," Naruto whispered, well aware of how unconvincing it sounded.

"And your eyesight has gotten so much worse over the last couple of hours?" Sasuke mocked him. "I think you were trying to-"

"It's really dark," the blonde interrupted him. He gasped in shock when Sasuke leaned over him, copying Naruto's position from moments before. His breath brushed against the blonde's face, and Naruto wished for the roof to somehow swallow him.

"It is really dark," Sasuke admitted. His face was so close that Naruto couldn't be certain of it but he would bet everything he had ever owned that the vampire was smiling nastily. "I'm going to stay like this so you could still see me," he added.

"You don't need to do that," Naruto protested. He knew that the vampire was well aware of the fact that he had wanted to kiss him. Still, he wasn't willing to admit it.

"You're a coward," Sasuke decided, and returned to his spot. Naruto tried to calm his mind and stop breathing so heavily. He didn't know whether the vampire was just messing with him or if he actually expected Naruto to go through with his original plan. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to know.


	5. Moron

"What is it?" Naruto questioned. Sasuke raised his eyes at the man who had just woken up. His blond hair was sticking in every possible direction, and he looked like sun.

"Eggs," Sasuke answered, believing it to be redundant. "You've said you wanted eggs," he reminded Naruto, who stared at him dumbfounded, clearly surprised. The blonde grabbed one of the eggs between his thumb and index finger, inspecting it. "They aren't poisoned," he complained. He started to regret trying to be nice to the moron.

"I know they're not poisoned but they're _so_ small," Naruto said, sitting across Sasuke.

"I'm not in charge of birds nesting seasons," the brunette grunted. He had found three nests, which had seven eggs in them. The eggs were smaller than a human eyeball. He had to climb some pretty tall pine trees to get them. His hands were still smelling like resin. "You want them or not?" Sasuke growled. He had expected the idiot to be happy but it seemed that he had been wrong.

"...of course I want them," the blonde barked. "I just feel sorry for the birds," he added. Sasuke glared at him, realizing that he wouldn't hear a "thank you." Apparently Naruto got used to being pampered by him.

"Snow is melting. We'll need to go soon," he said. The blonde frowned at that, visibly unhappy.

"I guess we should try to make the most of it while we're still here," he muttered, and returned to the bed, covering himself with blankets. Sasuke sighed wearily, and joined him. The blonde seemed panicked; he moved as far away from the vampire as it was physically possible without actually leaving the bed. Sasuke arched an eyebrow, realizing that the moron was still flustered after what had happened on the roof. He smirked, and got closer to Naruto, ghosting over his neck.

"I'm hungry," he said even though it wasn't entirely true. He would be able to go on without sucking on human's blood for a couple of more days. The blonde flinched when he felt cold breath on his hot skin. Sasuke heard the blood jostling in his veins.

"Help yourself," he whispered uncertainly. Sasuke smiled under his nose, and undid the bandages on Naruto's neck. He was surprised to see that the wound from the last week already disappeared, leaving only fair scars that were contrasting with his otherwise swarthy skin. Sasuke placed his lips on the neck, resting one of his hands on the blonde's waist. He felt the man's body tensing under his touch, and started to feel guilty about his actions. While unnerving Naruto was quite enjoyable, messing with him like that seemed cruel. Sasuke had no idea why did the blonde feel attracted to him - he believed that it had something to do with the fact that he was the only person around.

"I've changed my mind," he decided, and left Naruto alone. The blonde turned around and faced him, his face slightly flushed.

"The ointment is bothering you, isn't it? I can wash it away," he offered, pretending that his breathing wasn't faster. Sasuke poked the man's forehead, his eyes widening in shock as he realized that the gesture seemed painfully familiar. "What's going on?" Naruto questioned.

"...it's nothing," he whispered, retracting his fingers.

"I see," the man said. He didn't seem too convinced about it. "I was thinking about your memory loss," he added after a longer while, finally locking his blue eyes with Sasuke's black ones. "But there are some things about you that don't add up."

"...what things?" the brunette asked, focusing on the conversation and pushing the forehead poke into the back of his mind. Whenever he tried to remember something, he would usually just get frustrated.

"For example, the sword and your inability to read," the blonde explained. "I mean, you were obviously trained to fight with it, and, well, not many people are actually allowed to carry a sword. It's just weird that you can't read," he muttered. Sasuke frowned at him. He didn't like being reminded of his shortcomings. "I could teach you if you wanted me to," he offered hastily. The brunette pondered over the offer. He was tempted to accept it even if he believed it to be quite humiliating.

"...fine," he agreed reluctantly. Naruto sent him a warm smile, and got up from bed. Sasuke watched him take out a quill and ink they had found in the mercenaries' bags. The blonde sat at the table, and wrote something on the back of his wanted poster. He fanned over the paper for some time, and returned to the bed, handing it to Sasuke. "I know these," he muttered, seeing the alphabet. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Then I guess that we're halfway done," he said. "Can you spell my name?" he asked. Sasuke eyed the piece of paper, looking for the right characters. He was shamefully slow, having to repeat the alphabet in his head a couple of times before he was able to spell through half of Naruto's name. The blonde didn't hurry him up, patiently waiting for him to finish. "You're not so bad with it," he exclaimed. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the comment.

"Don't patronize me," he complained.

"I'm not patronizing you," Naruto protested. "You just need to practice some more, and you'll be doing this automatically," he added.

They spent the next couple of hours practicing. Sasuke was rather tired - he didn't get to sleep yet, and he was yawning every now and then. Naruto, on the other hand, appeared quite enthusiastic. He was asking the vampire to spell simple words, and Sasuke realized that he was getting faster. Then the blonde presented him the wanted poster and told him to read it aloud. Getting used to a new handwriting was rather troublesome but he was eventually able to decipher the whole thing, even though it took him much longer then it probably should.

He learned that Naruto (whose last name was apparently Uzumaki) was signed out from the guild until he would explain his actions. He was supposed to be brought to its headquarters so he could stand a trial. Sasuke hadn't put much thought to what exactly the blonde had to give up in order to save his life before. Somehow, he believed that the man deserved a punishment for what he had done to him, and he didn't feel sorry for him. He still didn't feel guilty about what had happened but he began to empathize with Naruto. The man wasn't hyperbolizing when he had said that his life was in pieces.

"What do you plan to do?" Sasuke asked. The blonde stared at him questioningly. "About that guild thing," he clarified.

"...I'm not sure yet. I mean, there's nothing much I can do. I can't bullshit my way out of it, so I think we will need to build a life for ourselves in another country," he said.

" _We_?" the brunette repeated the word.

"...unless you still want to leave me, that is," Naruto corrected himself. "In that case _I_ will need to build a new life for myself," he stated in a dull voice. The vampire side-eyed him.

"I would be a liability," he pointed out. The blonde chuckled and shook his head.

"You're anything but," he stated firmly. "I thought I would still be a mercenary, and since I wouldn't be staying in one place for too long, and I usually hunt at night, I doubt that anyone would be suspicious of why do we sleep at day. I guess I can't walk around with fresh bite marks so you'd have to bite me somewhere else but, otherwise, I think we would be doing all right."

"...so you want to sign into another guild?"

"No, I can't do that," he replied. "Finding jobs will be more difficult and I won't be paid as much as I was used to. And I will have to assume a fake identity but... I don't know, I would be happy if you stayed with me," he confessed. Sasuke stared at the man, taken aback by his words. They spent less than three weeks together but these three weeks were rather intense. If he was to claim that he hated the idea of staying with Naruto longer, he would be lying. He opened his mouth to tell the man that he wouldn't mind traveling with him but the blonde's stomach let out a loud grumble. Sasuke snorted into the mattress. "Shit, I've forgotten to eat," Naruto mumbled, sounding rather embarrassed. He got up from the bed, made fire, and started to melt fat on the small pan they had found in the hut. Then he cracked eggs into it. "They are _really_ small," he mused, scrambling them with a wooden spoon. "...thanks, though," he added after a short while.

"You're welcome," the brunette replied, smiling at the mercenary. "I will stay with you for a little longer," he said, noticing that the blue eyes glowed with joy. He turned his back to the man, and went to sleep. He had nothing against living like this.

* * *

Naruto put out the fire when he noticed that Sasuke was asleep. They would have to leave the hut after the dusk. He was surprised by the vampire's learning speed. It was possible that he wasn't exactly _learning,_ it seemed that he was just remembering how to do read. It would make far more sense.

He sat by the table, eying the sleeping bundle, trying to guess the man's identity. While during the last two and a half years Sasuke's body could change a little bit, he didn't look as if he was doing any physical labor. He didn't have broad shoulders or muscular neck that were typical for field hands. His waist wasn't thick, he was clearly unused to carrying heavy objects. His legs were showing that he used to walk a lot - but that could had happened after he was changed. Especially since he was slightly bowlegged, which would imply that he had spent a fair amount of time in a saddle. And the brunette's stomach muscles were a sign of vanity. Nobody needed defined abs. Naruto rubbed his cheek. He still wasn't convinced that Sasuke should learn about his past but he wanted to respect his wish. He was just hoping that the damages wouldn't be unrepairable.

Naruto heaved a heavy sigh, and got up. He fed the horses, wondering what they would do after their supply of fodder will vanish, and returned to the house. He needed to pack. They couldn't take everything with them - even though they could take a lot since they weren't actually riding the horses. Naruto frowned, discarding some of the items. They weren't lucky when it came to clothes - Zabuza's were too big, and Haku's too small. The men had some gold, which was quite fortunate. The blonde was also tempted to take the huge sword but he eventually decided against it - the weapon was custom made and it could be recognized. Also, there was no way in hell that he or Sasuke could use it efficiently. It was way too heavy for a normal human being.

Or vampire. Naruto bit his lip. He wasn't certain when exactly it started but he was catching himself forgetting about the fact that Sasuke was a vampire. The blonde glanced at the bed. Only black hair was sticking out from the blankets. Naruto gulped nervously, feeling a sudden heat in his groin. He did say that there was nothing wrong with masturbating next to one another but doing so while thinking about the other male seemed strangely inappropriate. Even if the vampire theoretically had no way of knowing about it. He left the house again, hoping that he would forget about the whole deal after he would finally jerk off.

Perhaps he was just sexually frustrated. After all, he didn't satiate his lust even once for the last three weeks. It couldn't had been healthy. Naruto bit his lip, resting his back against a tree, and shoving one of his hands into the underpants. His dick felt overtly sensitive. He moved his hand along his already hard shaft, trying to chase away the image of black irises that seemed burnt into his eyelids.

"Fuck," he cursed, and removed the hand. It felt downright wrong. They were two different species. And Naruto was certain that he wouldn't be able to look the other man in the eye if he had allowed himself to fantasize about his body. He wiped his hands into the grass that started to appear under the snow, and returned to the hut. He undid the bandages on his neck, and washed the ointment away. Then he sat on the bed, and shook Sasuke awake.

"What is it?" the vampire grunted unhappily. He was sleeping just for a couple of hours. No wonder he was moody.

"Feed on me," Naruto commanded, practically shoving his neck into the other man's mouth. If he couldn't solve his problem naturally, then maybe getting rid of excessive blood would ease his pain.

"Why?" Sasuke inquired. Then he chuckled. His breath tickled. "What happened to jacking off?" he questioned. The blonde cleared his throat.

"Nothing, just do it," he muttered.

"Weren't you saying that I should find some other spot to bite?" he mused. "I bet not many people would see your thigh," he murmured innocently. Naruto flinched in surprise. "Then there's your collarbone area," he continued. "Where do you want me to bite you?"

"I don't care, it'll be still unpleasant," he barked. He regretted asking the vampire for help. Sasuke was just mocking him, and he was growing more and more certain that the brunette was fully aware of why did he believe that being bitten was better than having an actual orgasm.

"So you want me to make it pleasant for you?" the man whispered. "I think I was right when I've said that you fancy me," he snickered. "Was that friend of yours also a sodomite?"

Naruto's blood boiled with anger. Then it froze when he felt a strong hand groping his crotch, and squeezing his balls almost painfully.

"Sas-" he wanted to protest. The hand invaded his underpants, grabbing his dick, and pumping it steadily.

"You can't function like this," the man interrupted him in a calm voice. Sasuke was lying underneath him, his face blank and expressionless. Naruto swallowed a loud moan, barely refraining his body from going limp. He was half-lying on the bed, supporting himself on his forearms. He could feel his back muscles tense. The hand was tightly embracing his dick, and one slim finger was tracing small circles on his glans. Naruto thrusted his hips forwards, which made Sasuke smile nastily. "Still want me to bite you?" he inquired.

"Yes," he uttered. The black eyes widened in surprise. Sasuke retracted his hand, and pulled Naruto's linen shirt up.

"As you wish," he stated in a somewhat offended tone and bit next to the blonde's collarbone. It was slightly more painful than when he was feeding on his neck. Naruto was certain that he would have bruises. On the other hand, tension in his groin was lowering. The vampire was drinking his blood. Its flow was steadier than when he was using his neck. "It's worrying that you prefer to be hurt than-"

"You're a bastard," Naruto growled and stood up. The vampire raised an eyebrow in a mute question. The blonde ignored him and went outside, knowing very well that Sasuke couldn't follow him there. He heard a muffled "that's low" as he slammed the doors behind him.

* * *

Sasuke sighed heavily, walking a couple of steps behind the blond moron, who had apparently decided to not talk to him. They had already left the hut, and, as Naruto claimed, were close to the border.

"Weren't you saying that not talking to the only person you can talk with is stupid?" Sasuke complained. The blonde shrugged his shoulders. "You didn't do anything to stop me," he pointed out. Naruto turned his head, glaring daggers at the brunette.

"I also didn't do anything to entice you," he growled.

"You seemed to enjoy yourself," Sasuke muttered.

"That's not the point," the blonde yelled at him. The vampire pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't understand Naruto.

"You were with a man before, right?" he questioned. The blonde sighed loudly, rubbing his temples.

"I can't see how is that any of your business," he uttered, walking faster. Sasuke rolled his eyes, and followed the man, catching up to him.

"I don't get you," he stated calmly. "Back there, on that roof, you wanted to kiss me," he said. Naruto stopped abruptly, and the vampire almost walked into his back. "And I'm quite certain that if your arousal had nothing to do with me, you would just jack off and forget about the whole deal-"

"I'm missing the times when you weren't as talkative," Naruto grunted, interrupting him. Sasuke arched an eyebrow, noticing that the man didn't say anything about gagging him. It was some kind of progress.

"I still can't see what's your problem with me," the brunette muttered.

"I'm human and you're vampire," the mercenary said as if it was an actual explanation.

"It's not like you'll get pregnant," Sasuke retorted. The blonde let out a frustrated growl, hitting himself in the forehead.

"You're just making it harder," the man whined, marching again.

"I'm making something harder," the vampire snorted.

He started to regret saying that soon after because Naruto was just ignoring him for the rest of the night. And he stayed outside the tent during the day. Sasuke started to wish for someone or something to attack them so the idiot could vent his sexual frustration. He just wanted them to be able to talk normally again.

When the dusk came, the blonde didn't even go inside to wake him up to get his share of sleep. Sasuke sighed wearily, left the tent and sat by the fire next to the man, grabbing his arm before he could escape.

"I think I killed my brother," he said in a hushed voice. Naruto's formerly tense face relaxed.

"I think you were nobility or, at least, someone rich," he informed Sasuke, who stared at him wide-eyed. "And I think that you knew how to read. You aren't learning now, you're remembering it. It's possible that you weren't doing it for some time... or perhaps you lost it when you died-"

"...are you absolutely positive that I killed myself?" the brunette asked. It seemed rather improbable.

"Yes," Naruto answered, lying on the ground. "All vampires have killed themselves. It's quite ironic when you look at it. I mean, you can't kill yourself _now_ ," he added. "Bluds were killed by someone they were in love with - and now they lead people astray and make them lust for one another," he chuckled. A blush crept on his cheeks, and he cleared his throat, visibly embarrassed by something. "Then there are night hags - they were killed asleep, and now torment others-"

"So it's possible that my brother is still somewhere," Sasuke interrupted the mercenary. The man clicked his tongue.

"Chances are rather slim. If monsters were created this easily, people would've died out already," he replied. The brunette sighed, and lay next to the other male. "Scholars claim that only really angry people get turned. Some say that it's something inherited - which would support your claim but I've never seen any proof for that. I mean, there are, obviously, liches who turned themselves into monsters but they're a special snowflake," he laughed. Sasuke side-eyed the man.

"You like it, don't you?" he asked. "Being a mercenary," he clarified. Naruto let out a small sigh.

"I wanted to become one ever since I was a little child," he answered. "It was a family tradition, I believe. Unfortunately, mercenaries don't have a particularly long lifespan," he whispered. "I didn't knew my parents, I've just heard stories about them. I was raised by my godfather who also was a mercenary, and, well, he's also dead now. Then I met Gaara - the one, who had a nasty reputation - and he was killed as well. I guess being a mercenary is everything I know, actually. Sakura's the most normal person in my life, and I believe that she doesn't deserve to be called that. I mean, she's the best healer I know about."

"She seemed nice," Sasuke said. Naruto turned his head, and smiled at him.

"I used to have a major crush on her," he chuckled. "Sometimes I would hurt myself on purpose just so she would heal me," he mused happily.

"What happened with that?" the brunette inquired. When he had seen the two interacting with one another they seemed to be just really good friends.

"She noticed what I was doing, and started to use the most painful healing methods she could think of," the blonde laughed. "I was still healed but it hurt as hell," he wheezed. Sasuke snickered, watching the man next to him relax. He was somewhat jealous of all the memories he had, even if not all of them were pleasant. "We even were together for a short while but it didn't work out. I was always traveling, and she was there. And then I met Gaara, and I guess you were right about me and him," he whispered. The brunette smiled at the man.

"How did he die?" he asked quietly, closing his eyes. He hoped that the man wasn't killed by a vampire. Naruto was already prejudiced against him, and he believed that if the man's lover had been slaughtered by one of his kind, then even maintaining what they already had would be difficult. And Sasuke was slowly realizing that he wouldn't mind it if they were to become something more. He didn't exactly had a sex drive - or, rather - it didn't bother him too much. Still, he liked Naruto. And it seemed that Naruto was the only person who would even consider accepting him.

"That would be a wyvern," the blonde answered. "They're allegedly extinct. I wish they really were," he muttered. "Jiraiya - my godfather - was killed by a man over a rather trivial matter. They were arguing, and Jiraiya was drunk, and he challenged that man to a duel, and, well, that man won," he said in a grave tone that didn't really suit him. Sasuke opened his eyes, staring at the blonde, who chose that particular moment to yawn in an utterly inelegant manner.

"Did you do anything to that man?" he asked. He would probably want to avenge his godfather.

"No, he couldn't had known that something like this would happen. And from a legal point of view everything was in order," he uttered. Sasuke gawked at the blonde, wondering whether he was more insane or stupid.

"That guy killed your godfather-"

"And I was a law abiding citizen until I met you," Naruto interrupted him, chuckling bitterly. "That guy apologized to me, he didn't mean for it to happen. I was resentful at first but I soon realized that it was pointless," he blurted out.

"...I see," Sasuke sighed. He turned his head, staring at the sky. Soon, the stars would appear. "What about your parents?"

"Nobody knows for sure. They just didn't return," he said. "Jiraiya tried to track them down but he wasn't able to learn when or where they had died."

Sasuke didn't have the heart to ask whether they simply didn't return. It happened many years ago and they were probably already dead. There was no point in wondering whether Naruto's parents didn't just run away.

"I know what you're thinking but they wouldn't leave me alone," the man muttered, and sat up, evidently readying himself to sleep.

"You want me to stay here?" Sasuke asked. The blonde shook his head, and helped him stand up.

"There's no need for you to get cold," he said, smiling faintly at the vampire. To Sasuke's surprise, he didn't let go off his hand immediately.

* * *

They were able to reach a small town. Naruto and Sasuke were somehow able to return to the previous state of their relationship, and he was still helping him remember how to read. Two days before they had reached the town, Naruto woke up to a "moron" written in a nice cursive on the back of his hand. The ink still didn't fade, and he was more than grateful that majority of people he would meet would be illiterate.

He tried to take his mind off Sasuke. He had spent almost a month with him, and the man kept getting under his skin, acting strangely nice just to drop a snarky comment whenever he had a chance. And Naruto realized that he didn't really mind it. Still, he couldn't imagine himself with him. A few months ago it would be impossible for him to think of Sasuke as an actual person, and now he had to constantly remind himself that the man was a vampire, a tragedy waiting to happen.

Living with a vampire turned out quite problematic. Sasuke refused to stay in an inn alone during the day, and, while Naruto could see why, it didn't exactly help. He needed to replenish their supplies. Eventually, they had decided that Sasuke would be left alone in the woods nearby the town, and Naruto would collect him after the dusk, so they could get a proper rest in an inn. Since they had Zabuza and Haku's money, they weren't in a need of a job, and getting one so close to the border would be irresponsible anyways.

Naruto strolled through the town with a huge grin plastered to his face. He was missing people. He had only one horse with him since everything else was left with Sasuke. He bought some food - and, since it was early spring, he didn't have to much to choose from. Luckily enough, he was able to buy some fodder for the horses. As he was packing the saddle bags, he felt someone tapping his shoulder, and he was already certain that he was in deep shit. He turned around to see five town guards. They had already encircled him, and he realized that he had no means of escaping. He should had listened to Sasuke. It appeared that the vampire wasn't as paranoid as he seemed to be.

"Uzumaki Naruto?" a guard asked. The blonde shook his head, fully aware of the fact that there weren't many people who would fit his description. Not everyone had a whiskers-like scars on their cheeks. "You're under arrest," the man stated calmly, and Naruto knew that this time he wouldn't be able to escape. He breathed in. He was supposed to stand a trial; there was a chance that he wouldn't be convicted of anything. Nevertheless, the fact that he had been trying to run away suggested that his conscience wasn't exactly clean.

He allowed the guards to handcuff him, and was lead into the town arrest. The guards informed him that he would be transported to the Fire Country on the next day. Naruto was left alone in a cell, feeling angry at the entire world. He kicked a dirty bucket, and crouched on the floor, resting his back against a cold wall. He was glad that Sasuke decided to not enter the town - it was possible that at least he would be able to escape. Naruto hung his head, staring at his hand. He chuckled bitterly, realizing that the vampire was disturbingly right when he had marked him as a "moron."

Nobody talked with him nor informed him about his charges. He wasn't shocked, it wasn't a common practice. Especially since this town guards didn't exactly have the authority to question him. He was getting bored. It was already dark outside, and he wasn't too keen to sleep on the smudged floor. He didn't want to know _why_ it was so dirty. He flinched when he heard a whisper.

"Let me in," demanded Sasuke. The blonde raised his head, staring through the barred window. He could see the vampire's feet and legs; he was squatting.

"No," he replied quietly. He wasn't even sure whether his invitation would mean much. It wasn't as if he owned the town arrest. Under normal circumstances, he would be probably more curious about it. The vampires couldn't enter buildings uninvited but he had no idea why or what was stopping them from doing so.

"I'm going to stay here until you let me in," the vampire growled at him, and Naruto could hear him slump against the outer wall. He cursed under his breath. The man was ruining his chances of escaping. At that point nobody really knew about Sasuke, and the blonde would had preferred it to stay that way. Otherwise everything he went through would be in vain.

"Grab your horse and run," Naruto commanded. The brunette didn't budge from his spot. If he was to stay there for much longer, the best he could hope for would be being mistaken for a beggar, which would put him behind bars as well. Then he would die after the sun would come out. "I mean it, you're putting yourself in danger," he added.

"Just let me in," the vampire whispered back. Naruto stood up, and approached the window. He couldn't reach it normally, so he jumped, and pulled himself up on the bars.

"What do you plan to do?" he questioned. There were three guards inside. There was no way in hell that Sasuke would be able to enter the arrest unnoticed.

"Free you, of course," the vampire replied. Naruto landed on the floor with a soft thump. The guards apparently didn't care because he didn't hear any footsteps.

"You won't be able to just snatch me away," he pointed out. "Run."

"I don't plan to be sneaky," Sasuke informed him. Naruto gulped. It appeared that the brunette was becoming more and more aggressive. "Let me in, or I'm going to stay here. You've seen what happens to me during the day," he said mercilessly.

"Don't try guilt-tripping me," Naruto hissed. "You've said you were doing much better on your own so go already," he pleaded. He couldn't allow the vampire to kill anymore people. It seemed that he was slowly losing himself. It wasn't the same man who was begging him to not mark him. If he tried to do it now, he would had probably ended up with a snapped neck.

"...I'm tired of being on my own," Sasuke confessed in a monotone voice. The blonde felt his throat tighten. The man really should had let the ghouls eat him. He was nothing but trouble. "Taking into account the fact that I need to return to the cave before the dawn, you don't have too much time to invite me," he mused.

"I just don't want you to get hurt. I'll just have to stand a trial, it's not such a big deal," Naruto said.

"You're lying," the brunette replied. "You'll be questioned, yes, but after that they'll say off with your head."

The mercenary let out a tired sigh. Sasuke wasn't wrong. His chances of surviving were rather slim. The investigators would have to be quite stupid to not convict him of anything. He rubbed his temples. He wished he could demand trial by duel but that law was revoked eons ago. He realized that he was facing certain death no matter what he did. Naruto was on verge of despair. He had never anticipated that his life would turn out like this. He was supposed to be a mercenary, help out people, and enjoy his fully deserved rewards. Not sitting in what appeared to be a death cell, with a vampire as his only friend.

"Go away, Sasuke," he begged. "I won't let you in," he uttered decidedly. Even if the vampire was able to free him, they would just have to escape again. And this time, they would know that he had an accomplice. Also, he didn't want the brunette to become more violent. It clearly wasn't healthy for him. "You have to learn about your past," he reminded the man. "And I'm the reason why you're marked like a slave. You've said you still remember that. There's no reason for you to help me out," he argued.

Sasuke didn't reply to that but he didn't move either. Naruto felt as if something was squeezing his heart. He didn't want everything he had done to save the vampire to go to waste because of the bastard's stubbornness.

"This is what I get for trying to help a fucking monster," he said. It pained him to do so. "If I still had that crystal, I would've crushed it," he added. He saw Sasuke flinch. Naruto inhaled deeply. "I still don't care about your name," he continued. "Or your past. You were just an interesting specimen," he hissed. He saw the brunette stand up. The mercenary blinked away the tears that were welling up in his eyes. "If I had a chance to go back in time to the moment when we've met, the only thing I would change would be killing you."

Naruto slumped on the floor, seeing Sasuke finally go away. He hid his face in his hands, wanting to scream. He felt them getting wet, so he raised his head. He didn't want the word to disappear.


	6. Back to square one

Sasuke walked away from the barred window. The idiot definitely knew where to hit, and it was quite terrifying. On the other hand, he was a terrible liar. The vampire rubbed his temples, trying to come up with a plan that wouldn't need Naruto's cooperation since it was rather clear that the goddamn moron was so indulged in his heroic fantasies that he was completely unreasonable. He let out a tired sigh. He had a feeling that it wasn't the first time in his life when someone lied to protect him. Somehow, he believed that the other person was much more successful.

The brunette approached the arrest doors with a heavy heart. He held one of his hands on the dagger handle, ready to defend himself. There was no telling how the guards would react - it was possible that they would realize that he was a vampire. Sasuke knocked on the doors. He chuckled under his nose when he heard a muffled "come in." It appeared that the guards were idiots. The brunette didn't mind it. He waited outside, hoping that at least one of the men would come out. He had to finish them quickly or else they would alert the town inhabitants, and, possibly, other guardsmen. Fortunately, he wasn't wrong.

He could hear a muffled argument. Apparently, nobody wanted to get up. Sasuke had nothing against lazy people. He moved sideways, waiting for the man to go out. He plastered himself on the wall, seeing the opening doors. The guard looked around with a stupid expression on his face. Sasuke grabbed him by the arms, and pulled him closer, stabbing him in the chest. The man coughed up blood, wheezing. The brunette covered his mouth, and snapped his neck. Then he opened the doors, and threw the corpse on the ground.

Two men rose to their feet. One of them seemed absolutely horrified. He started screaming. Sasuke ran up to him; there was no way that the people outside didn't hear him. He just hoped that they wouldn't want to check it out. The vampire thrusted his sword forwards but the other man blocked him. Sasuke growled angrily. The guard yelled that they were under attack. The brunette cursed under his nose, and swung his blade, cutting through the man's padded jacket. He wasn't even able to wound him. Sasuke evaded an attack, and stabbed the man. He needed to use much more force than normally. The man's body fell on the floor. The other guard fell on his knees, begging for mercy. Sasuke ignored his plea, pulled him up, and bit into the male's neck. He smelled like onion and wheat beer. The vampire frowned. He would much rather feed on the blonde but he couldn't risk weakening him anymore. And he needed to be in best shape possible if they were to survive the chase. The guard's body went limp in his arms, and he dropped it.

Sasuke snatched up the keys that were hanging by one of the guardsmen's belt, and rushed to the basement. He would love to torture the moron after the bullshit he had spewed on him but there was no time.

"Sasuke," the blonde whispered in a scared voice. The vampire glared at him, opening his cell. "What are you-"

"No time to explain," he interrupted Naruto. The man's eyes were red and puffy. Sasuke let out a heavy sigh, and forced the man to stand up. "Move," he ushered him in an angry tone. Naruto followed him uncertainly.

"You killed them," the blonde stated accusingly when he climbed the stairs. Sasuke ignored him, sniffing for people outside. There were five of them. He pulled out a cutlass from a guard's dead hands, and shoved it into Naruto's, who didn't accept it. "You've sucked that guy dry," he hissed.

"I will gladly quarrel with you _after_ we'll escape," Sasuke retorted.

"You killed them," he repeated. The brunette pinched the bridge of his nose. He sheathed his sword, and, still holding the cutlass, pulled the blonde. Naruto didn't budge.

"Are you trying to get us killed?" Sasuke shouted at the mercenary. The man glared at him as if he did something unimaginable. "It was you or them, and I've chosen you," he growled. "And if you won't start cooperating, I'll knock you out, and slay everyone who will get in my way. Right now it's only five people. Your choice," he scoffed.

Naruto stepped back. He seemed unhappy, and Sasuke had no idea why the man would be unhappy. He had just saved his life. He should had been grateful. The blonde took a deep breath, and, apparently, decided to give up.

"Lead us out of it," he muttered. Sasuke sighed, handed him the cutlass, unsheathed his sword, and threw the doors open. He quickly regretted this decision. The men outside were armed with crossbows, and they fired at them. His only consolation was that he was standing in front. Two bolts hit him - one sliced his thigh, and the other went right through his side. He moved sideways, pulling Naruto with him. They were fucked.

He squatted as his body began regenerating, spasming with excruciating pain. The blonde lifted him, and put him over his shoulder, backing into the room. Sasuke winced when the mercenary threw him on the floor. He noticed that he had flipped the table, creating a makeshift barrier.

"Now we are both going to die," Naruto grunted. "The table won't stop bolts," he complained.

"Put out the light," Sasuke whimpered, pressing his hand to his side. They were used to fighting in darkness. The guards probably weren't. Naruto cursed under his breath, and threw a ceramic cup towards the wall. It broke, splashing the beer, and putting out candles. The men outside just readied themselves for another shot. They argued for a while but their leader decided that they shouldn't enter the arrest. Since it was dark, they couldn't use their crossbows. Or, rather, they shouldn't. Sasuke panted heavily. He didn't know what he and Naruto should do next.

"We will have to run out from here, and hope that they won't kill us immediately after we'll cross the doors," the blonde muttered. "I thought you at least had a plan," he complained. "Really, you were saying something about slaying those guards with me being unconscious. You don't fucking deliver," he grunted.

"Shut up," Sasuke whined in a hushed voice. "It's not like your plan was better."

"Mine made sure that at least one of us will live," the mercenary retorted. "We're going to just run. We're outnumbered. If they will break their formation, we will finish them off," he decided. Sasuke eyed the man. He was already healed, and the horse was tied to a tree in the woods. It was possible that they would be able to reach it. "We could leave through a window. Maybe they won't notice us if we'll be quiet."

"I'll lead us to the horse," he informed the man. "Don't get lost." Sasuke shrugged in surprise when he felt a strong grip on his shoulder. The blonde pulled him into a hug.

"In case we won't make it," he whispered, "it was nice knowing you," Naruto concluded, chuckling bitterly. The brunette couldn't help but snort at that. It wasn't exactly a heartwarming speech.

They rose to their feet, approached a window, and unhooked it. Naruto got ready to come through it first but Sasuke stopped him. It would be far less problematic if he was the one to get hit. He climbed on the window sill, and landed softly on the ground outside. The guards were still arguing, and they were surrounded by pitch black darkness. Sasuke flinched when he felt Naruto tapping his shoulder. He realized that for a short while he had no idea where exactly the man was. He had stopped checking for him, letting his guard down. Up to that point he was always fully aware of his surroundings, and now it seemed that he was slowly losing it.

He grabbed the blonde's arm, and lead him among the buildings, avoiding people. It appeared that they might survive it after all.

* * *

Naruto let out a relieved sigh when they finally reached the horse. Nobody attacked them on their way there. The next problem would be the fact that he had no idea how would they survive the day, which was coming rather soon. The blonde untied the horse, and started to walk towards the cave in which Sasuke had spent the last day.

They had lost one horse, some of Naruto's equipment, and almost half of their money. What was more, they had almost no fodder for the horse. The blonde frowned. Their situation wasn't improving.

"You're a terrible liar," the vampire muttered. It was the first thing he said since they had left the town arrest. Naruto turned his head towards him. The man seemed pissed. The blonde didn't blame him. "If you wanted to convince me that you wanted to die, you shouldn't have cried," he added in a cruel tone. Naruto frowned.

" _Nobody_ wants to-" the blonde stopped mid-sentence. He remembered that Sasuke _had_ killed himself.

"An interesting specimen," the brunette said. "I should've left you there for even thinking about saying that," he hissed.

"That was the plan," Naruto growled. Sasuke heaved a heavy sigh.

"You would've died if I wasn't nice enough to ignore everything you've said," he grunted. The blonde rubbed his forehead.

"You've killed people, Sasuke. And this time they didn't attack you. It's no longer self-defense," he uttered. The vampire let out a frustrated growl.

"I don't care," he shouted. His voice echoed through the forest. Naruto gasped in shock when the vampire shoved him into the nearest tree. He was hissing at him, showing off his teeth. The blonde wondered whether the man was still aware of what he was doing. He wouldn't had allowed himself to act like an animal before. "You're going to apologize to me for everything you've said, and thank me for saving your life," he whispered menacingly.

Naruto gulped.

"Sorry," he mumbled out. "Thanks," he added uncertainly. The man let go off him, and started marching towards the cave. Naruto recalled that he had told the vampire that he would kill him if he would become dangerous. He realized that the moment already came. And that he was unable to go through with it. "Sasuke," he called after the man. "I mean it," he said. The vampire stopped in his tracks. "It's you and me against the world," Naruto stated. The brunette snorted.

"It sounds stupid," he decided. The mercenary noticed that the man waited for him so they could walk arm in arm. Naruto wondered whether there was something he wouldn't forgive Sasuke. He had already stepped out of his comfort zone.

It would dawn in one hour, and Naruto wondered whether Sasuke would survive a journey if he was bundled up in some blankets. He could be sitting on the horse. The blonde eyed the man, somewhat embarrassed to suggest it.

"We shouldn't be staying in the cave," he mused. The vampire glared at him. "You've killed-"

"Stop whining," Sasuke retorted. Naruto let out a heavy sigh.

"There are bodies, and now they know about you. They might even suspect that you aren't human. Also, now there won't be a trial. We are probably considered dangerous enough to kill us on sight," he said in the calmest voice possible. The vampire stared at him questioningly. "We can't stop now," the blonde added.

"You do remember that I can't walk in open day, right?" Sasuke inquired.

"You'll be on the horse, covered with blankets. I'll make sure you won't get hurt," he promised. The brunette sighed. He didn't really have a choice.

* * *

Sasuke hated the whole world. He hated the horse and its wobbly steps. He hated the blankets which would probably fell from him if Naruto wasn't holding them in place. He hated feeling useless. And he hated being afraid of pain.

"It was nice knowing you, huh" he repeated what was supposed to be the moron's last words. "You wanted me to die after hearing something so stupid?" he complained. "You could've at least worded it differently. I'm glad I've met you or something," he suggested. He was patted on the shoulder in a patronizing way.

"I'm not glad that I've met you," Naruto replied. Sasuke frowned. "If I didn't meet you, you would be safe," he stated. "But knowing you _is_ nice," he chuckled. "While we're still speaking about dying - there's one thing I regret," he whispered. Sasuke blinked in surprise when Naruto's face suddenly appeared in front of his. He got even more shocked when the blonde smooched him on the lips. Then he disappeared again.

"Come back here," he demanded after he recovered from initial shock.

"No," the blonde laughed. Sasuke reached out with his arm, wincing in pain when the skin on his hand burnt. "Gods, calm down," he whined and returned under the blanket. Sasuke cupped the back of his head, pulled him closer, and crushed his lips into Naruto's. Their teeth clanked, and he felt the taste of blood. He probably hurt the mercenary with one of his fangs. He ignored it, pushing his tongue into Naruto's mouth. "Skin irritation, vampire saliva... Remember?" the blonde murmured incomprehensibly. Sasuke sighed and let go of him, nuzzling his head in the indentation of Naruto's neck. The blonde brushed through his hair, and kissed him on the forehead. Then he left him alone again. Sasuke smiled to himself when he noticed that the man kept his hand in darkness, on the horse's neck, next to vampire's face. He grabbed it with his.

"I _am_ glad I've met you," he whispered. He heard the blonde stop breathing.

"...you're not being reasonable," the man replied.

Sasuke squeezed Naruto's hand. He already learned to live with the mark. It wasn't bothering him as much as before, although forgetting or forgiving it completely seemed impossible. Still, he was able to push it into the back of his mind and act as if it didn't happen.

"If we were reasonable, we would've killed one another," he said in a hushed voice. The blonde chuckled at that.

"We're still going to die so I would say we didn't lose anything," he mused. Sasuke let out a small laugh. It was true.

* * *

Naruto patted the vampire on the shoulder, letting him know it was already dusk. The man grunted something incomprehensibly. He was asleep for the last couple of hours. The blonde decided against waking him up - Sasuke had to be exhausted.

"Are we safe?" Naruto asked. The brunette nodded his head, and jumped down from the horse. The mercenary gasped in surprise when Sasuke embraced him but he soon hugged the man back. "I have no idea what to do now," he confessed. "We'll be on the run..."

"Yes, this is quite new to me," Sasuke retorted sarcastically. "Can you imagine that someone might want to kill us?"

"...yes, thank you for this input," Naruto answered, trying to keep a stern face. He failed. The brunette smiled back at him.

"We will survive," the man assured him. "Somehow."

Naruto sat down on a blanket. His feet were killing him. Sasuke plumped next to him, stretching his long legs. The blonde placed his head on the vampire's lap, noting his bewilderment.

"What?" he asked. Sasuke's expression softened. Naruto hoped that even if he wasn't able to make the vampire return to his original state, he would still be able to prevent further damages. He was wrong.

* * *

Naruto was shaken awake. He decided that he would have to inform the vampire that there were other ways of waking someone up. Ones that didn't bear a risk of concussion. After two weeks, they were still on the run. He opened one eye, glaring at the brunette, who seemed strangely agitated.

"What is it?" he asked. They were living under constant stress. It was first time since Naruto slept longer than two hours in a row. The vampire shoved some papers into his face. The blonde glanced at him. The man was smiling. He eyed the papers.

"I know my last name now," he whispered, grabbing the blonde's shoulders and squeezing them almost painfully. Naruto read Sasuke's wanted poster. Someone apparently identified him. He gulped internally, feeling all blood leave his face as he read the vampire's surname. "Uchiha," the man said. He sounded excited. His breath smelled of blood. Naruto frowned. The vampire wasn't feeding on him lately. And he definitely didn't have time to both hunt and visit a village.

"That's great. What have you eaten?" he questioned the man.

"Some guy, it doesn't matter," he blurted out. "Does my name ring a bell?"

"Is he still alive?" Naruto asked. He decided to not let Sasuke walk around on his own anymore. The man let out a frustrated growl.

"I don't care. What about my name?" he hissed.

"I've never heard it," he lied, and lay back, turning his back to Sasuke. He did hear aboutUchihas. Naruto was quite certain that the vampire wouldn't like to know about it. "Is he alive?" he repeated his question.

"I've tried to keep him alive but he screamed-"

"You've killed him," Naruto barked. Sasuke leaned over him with an apologetic look in his eyes. The blonde glared at him, cursing himself for not being able to reach out to his neck and crush the crystal. It was due time. The vampire had killed someone who didn't pose any threat to him.

"I didn't mean to," he stated. "But I can't feed on you-"

" _Yes, you can_ ," Naruto insisted. "And you will. You can't walk around killing people-"

"I _can't_. It would leave either you or me weakened. We can't afford it," he replied. The vampire rested his head on the blonde's side. His breathing seemed more shallow than usually. Almost panicked. "And he saw me standing next to that poster. I couldn't allow him to live, he would tell others that we were nearby-"

"They will find corpse. And they will notice that someone took the wanted posters, I'm sure they will make a connection," he grunted. "Besides, what happened to your nose? You should've known that he was there, you had plenty of time to hide-"

"I was in the village, it's difficult to watch over so many scents," the man whimpered. "And, Naruto, I've finally found something about me, a physical proof that I've actually lived, not just some memories that could be not true. Someone out there knows who I am," he said. The mercenary felt as if a noose was tightening around his throat. He was conflicted between being true to himself or loyal to Sasuke. He lay on his back, letting the man's head fall on his stomach. "We need to go," the vampire said after a longer pause.

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered. The brunette raised his head. Somehow, he still seemed surprised to hear his name. "You're going to feed on me and no-one else. I will manage," he decided. "And from now on you won't hunt on your own."

The black eyes squinted in anger. The mercenary frowned. He knew he wouldn't like what he was about to hear. The vampire was probably completely unaware of the fact that Naruto was making these decisions against his better judgement.

"Or what?" he asked, and the blonde realized that he didn't know an answer to that question.

"I will tell you everything I know about Uchihas if you'll agree to my terms," he blurted out. He wouldn't feel comfortable with threatening the vampire with death. He knew he would be just bluffing. Sasuke glared at him hatefully.

"You lied to me," he hissed. "You've claimed you've never heard about them-"

"Do you agree to my terms?" Naruto asked. He remembered that the man had called him a terrible liar. The brunette almost pierced him with his eyes. He was squatting next to him, and the mercenary was certain that the vampire was pondering over the possibility of agreeing to the terms just to break them immediately after learning what he wanted to know.

"You're still trying to control me," he muttered. "The only thing that's changed are the tools you're using to obtain that," he growled.

"Previously I've been doing it for me, now I'm doing it for you," the blonde retorted.

"No, you're still doing it for yourself," Sasuke stated. " _You_ don't want me to become like some of the vampires you've met. It was never about me," he added. "You've never cared about what I wanted-"

"Because what you wanted isn't what's good for you," Naruto yelled at the vampire, who just smirked at him as if he had just proven a point. The blonde wanted to scream.

"Of course," the brunette said. "Because _you_ know what's best for me. The last time you were making my decisions, I've ended up with a curse mark on my neck."

"The last time _you_ were making your own decisions, you've killed yourself," Naruto shouted back. Frustration was overflowing him.

"And yet you still want to believe that my life holds any value to me," Sasuke growled.

"It's valuable to me," the blonde screamed. The vampire smiled at him menacingly.

"Then at least stop lying to yourself. You care about yourself, not me," he muttered. "Now, please, in exchange for my freedom, tell me about my family," he hissed.

Naruto inhaled deeply. He felt as if he had won a battle but lost a war. He wished Sasuke had never rescued him. Neither from the ghouls nor prison.

"Your entire family is dead," he whispered. The brunette stared at him wide-eyed. "I wasn't really interested in it so I don't know much but from what I've heard an heir killed them."

"...I've killed them?" Sasuke asked in an empty voice. He seemed terrified. Naruto felt sorry for him. The blonde sat up, opening his arms, and inviting the man for a hug. The man ignored him. "Did I have any reason?" he questioned. Naruto bit his lip.

"I've told you I wasn't really interested in it," he answered in an apologetic tone. "And maybe it wasn't you-"

"I remember killing my brother. If I didn't have more of them then it had to be me," Sasuke interrupted him angrily. He was gasping for breath. Even his reaction to being marked had been milder.

"You had to have a reason," Naruto assured him. He didn't believe in it entirely. He couldn't think of a reason to kill one's whole family.

"Then... I've killed them, and then myself?" Sasuke whispered in a raspy, breaking voice. His face was tense.

"It happened over ten years ago, it's a rather old story," Naruto replied. "I don't think that this is..."

"Over ten years ago?" the vampire repeated. "I didn't kill my brother over ten years ago, it happened much later," he said. He looked confused.

"Maybe your brother killed your family, and you've just avenged their deaths?" the blonde suggested. He preferred that version of the story.

"...then why would I kill myself?" Sasuke questioned. His arms were shaking. Naruto grabbed his shoulders but the brunette shook his hands off of him. "Leave me alone," he grunted, and left the tent. The mercenary swallowed his words about them not having the luxury of privacy. Then he decided to not inform the man that they had to leave soon since he had killed a man. Naruto was just hoping that Sasuke would calm down before they would be forced to escape.

* * *

Sasuke darted into the woods, and climbed a leafless oak. He rested his back against the tree trunk, feeling as if he was about to implode. There were too many things happening at once. He felt guilty about killing the boy. He had lied to Naruto when he had told him that the man had screamed. He hadn't. He wasn't even in the village. Sasuke had found him traveling on his own, and simply decided to use the opportunity that was presenting itself to him. He wanted to quench his thirst enough to not have to worry about eating for a while - hunting took time, and he knew he couldn't feed on Naruto - no matter what the idiot was claiming, he couldn't be able to give him his blood, not sleep, and constantly travel under these conditions. It wasn't possible. When Sasuke bit into the boy, he understood that he wasn't willing to stop. Never before had he actually satiated his hunger - he was always taking too little, barely trying to survive.

The man was wheezing in his arms, his body growing colder and grayer with every second passing. Sasuke wanted to believe that for a short moment he had been considering sparing him but that wasn't entirely true. It wasn't until much later that he realized what had he done. He was terrified of himself. And he grew even more terrified when he saw Naruto's reaction to the _improved_ version of the story.

He was using the blonde as his moral compass, trying to learn what was and what wasn't excusable when it came to humans. Sasuke didn't trust his judgement when the mercenary was speaking about what he named monsters. He didn't know whether it was due to the man's personal history or general public opinion but it didn't seem right. He was certain that the blonde never cared why the vampiress had killed herself and what exactly made her go mad over the course of a month.

Sasuke could understand why the man was conflicted about him. He was a mercenary, and, as he had said before, he wasn't paid to befriend monsters. He was supposed to kill them so they wouldn't kill people. There was some logic to that. Still, it seemed that he never took his time trying to understand his so-called enemy. He could had known a lot about them but he seemed blatantly unsympathetic.

Then there was the topic of Sasuke's past. The vampire hated it but he started to realize that the mercenary could had been right when he claimed that it would be possible that there was nothing pleasant about it. The brunette was tormented by nightmares on almost every night. He was able to hide it from Naruto only because of his sheer willpower.

It was a reoccurring one, always the same. He was stabbing a young man in the back, and pushing his body from his sword. He was fatigued, and his whole body was pained as if the fight was a long one. The man was falling on a muddy ground, and Sasuke could see his profile. The dead eye, which seemed almost identical with his own, was staring right into his soul. He was always collapsing next to the corpse, facing it. He felt as if he was looking into a mirror; except the fact that he was dead only on the inside, and his reflection seemed much happier than he was.

Sasuke flinched when he heard the blonde call out to him. He opened his eyes, noting that it was almost dawn. Once again, he didn't smell Naruto approach him. And the blonde didn't exactly blend into his surroundings.

"Sasuke, we have to leave," he said, sounding guilty. The brunette looked down on him. He wasn't even sure what made them still fight for their lives. They should had given up on them a long time ago. "I think I know where exactly were your family's lands... we could go there," the blonde suggested sheepishly.

The vampire climbed down, and stood in front of the mercenary, staring at him. The man once again opened his arms, inviting him for a hug. Sasuke hesitated.

"That man didn't scream," he confessed. The blue eyed gazed at him in disbelief, and the brunette felt inclined to continue. "He wasn't anywhere near the village," he added. "I just couldn't stop myself," he whispered. He expected the blonde to panic, to challenge him to a duel or to try to destroy the crystal. The man just stared at him bewildered. "...do something," he pleaded.

Sasuke felt two strong arms embracing him almost painfully. He caught himself almost letting out a whimper. His body was trembling, and so was Naruto's. He winced when he saw the man reach out to his neck and grab the pouch. He rested his head on the blonde's shoulder, realizing that he was about to die. He closed his eyes, willing the tears to go away. He wanted to preserve at least some of his dignity.

"I'll have to take it back," the man whispered. He sounded as if he hated himself.

"I've already-" he tried to protest but Naruto interrupted him.

"It was my fault," he decided. "I should've been there and made sure that it wouldn't happen," he said. "But I still need to take the crystal back. Even if _this_ is also my fault," the blonde stated in an apologetic tone. "I won't use it unless it will become an absolute necessity," he promised. Sasuke stared at the man. He believed that they had already reached the point when using the crystal became an absolute necessity. They were way past that. "I'm sorry," the man added.

The vampire sighed, and let the blonde take the crystal from him. The chain was still cold, his body couldn't give its heat to it. It slid over his neck, and brushed through his hair. Naruto's hands stopped in the midway, cupping Sasuke's face, and lifting it, making the two men touch with their foreheads. The blonde's was pleasantly warm. Then he placed the crystal around his neck, letting out a strained sigh as he was tucking it under his shirt.

"I hate it," Naruto whispered. The brunette felt vulnerable, almost naked.

"I hope it's not broken," he replied, trying to lift the heavy atmosphere. In reality, he really did hope that it wasn't broken. He didn't trust the scholar nor the one mile radius he was apparently given. The blue eyes locked with his. The men were still standing uncomfortably close. "We need to go," he reminded the mercenary. Naruto backed out, and Sasuke headed towards where the horse had been tied. They returned to square one.


	7. River

Naruto frowned. Sasuke had been apathetic ever since the crystal had been taken away from him. The blonde hoped that he would become more lively during a hunting but the vampire was completely uninterested in eating. Naruto was standing in the river, his body shivering from the cold. They had been traveling for the last two weeks, and, according to what Sasuke had said, they weren't chased. The brunette refused to go into the water.

"Sasuke, come here," he pleaded. The vampire was squatting on the river bank, still fully clothed and bundled up in a blanket.

"It's cold," he replied, looking away. Naruto walked out from the water, hugging himself and rubbing his arms. He kneeled in front of the vampire.

"Sasuke," he whispered, grabbing the man's shoulders. The vampire glared at him. "You'll feel better if you take a bath," Naruto said. He had truly believed in it. Sasuke's hair was messy and dirty. It was sticking in every possible direction. "Come on," he said, massaging the male's thighs. The vampire seemed unaffected by it.

"I don't want to," he grunted. He would had probably returned to their camp but it seemed that he was almost paranoid when it came to the distance between them. It was never more than twenty feet.

Naruto pulled the vampire up, forcing him to stand on his own legs. He didn't complain again, so Naruto started to undress him. Sasuke's clothes clung to his body. They didn't bathe for the last couple of weeks so that wasn't a surprise. It was a good thing that they both smelled like campfire. The smell wasn't the nicest but it wasn't the worst either.

Sasuke rested his head on the blonde's wet shoulder in defeat. Naruto didn't like it. He missed the vampire's feistiness. It was all gone, together with his pride, dignity and some shreds of humor. The man had accepted his destiny - it seemed as if he just wanted to learn who he was and then die.

At the beginning Naruto was afraid that Sasuke might attack him. Then, that he would go away, so the noose would tighten around his neck. In the end he discovered that it was all unnecessary. The vampire was already dead inside. It was painful to watch him. He was moping around, disinterested and brooding. He almost didn't speak.

Naruto sighed, and kissed the vampire on the top of his head, combing his dirty hair with his fingers. Sasuke shuddered. He didn't expect it. Or he was cold. The blonde led him into the river, expecting the man to throw a fit. He didn't. He had goosebumps on his arms but he didn't protest. After a couple of steps, the water was reaching their stomachs. It felt warmer than air - after one got accustomed to it. Sasuke fixed his eyes on a point above the blonde's shoulder, his stare blank.

It was dark, their only sources of light were the moon and a small lantern, which stayed on the riverbank, marking the place where they had left their clothes. Naruto wanted to splash water at the other male, so he would finally react to the world around him but he was worried that it could just depress him even more.

He took some water in his linked hands, and poured it on Sasuke's head. He repeated the procedure until the black hair was drenched, sticking to the man's scalp. Tinkles of water were falling down the brunette's chest. Naruto grabbed a soap and started to wash the man's head. He didn't protest nor whine. He didn't do anything. The blonde was quite certain that he would had never allowed to be treated like that under normal circumstances.

"I miss you, Sasuke," he whispered. For a short while the black eyes locked with his but the man averted his gaze almost immediately. Naruto embraced him, somewhat terrified by how cold his skin was. As if he was dead. He shook his head, trying to focus on the moment. When he was taking baths with him before, he usually couldn't keep his eyes off of him. It was different now. Now, he was afraid that if he looked the other way, the man would disappear.

He rinsed his hair, feeling as if he was cleaning up a corpse. When he was burying Gaara, Sakura allowed him to help her prepare his body for the burial. She had sewn it the best way she could - and Naruto was grateful for her help. He knew she wouldn't do it if he hadn't been her friend. He had cleaned his body with a damp cloth, and he had chosen Gaara's favorite garments. He had combed his hair the way the man liked it. He looked as if he was sleeping. Even though one of his legs had been chewed off, and there was a huge wound in his chest. The beast had almost tore him in two. Naruto shuddered at the memory, and embraced the vampire.

"We don't have to go to the Uchiha lands if you don't want to," the blonde mumbled out. "I thought you wanted to but if you don't, we can go wherever else," he said. Sasuke trembled in his arms. He seemed strangely vulnerable, and Naruto had no idea how in the hell he could had been afraid of him. He was completely pacified. "We could stay here for a while," he offered.

"It's for you to decide," the man finally spoke, his voice hoarse and strained.

"It's your decision," he protested. The vampire sneered, clearly not believing in any of his words. "Sasuke, I will agree to anything that doesn't entail killing a human," he stated in a firm tone.

"You don't trust me anymore," he whispered, as if he was trying to remind Naruto about it. "And you have to agree to my decision, so it's not really one," he muttered. "And if I snap, you'll kill me. I wouldn't kill you. If I could do it, you would be already dead. So here you have it - your perfectly tamed vampire. This is what you've wanted, isn't it?" he asked. The blonde pressed his forehead against Sasuke's.

"I want _you_ ," he disagreed. "And I trust you. This situation is temporary," he grunted. He wanted to believe in it but he had never heard about a vampire getting better. No-one had ever tried to make one better but, still, it had never happened.

" _You trust me,_ " he scoffed. "You're unarmed, and you've left your crystal on the bank. What would you do if I attacked you?" he questioned, planting his lips on Naruto's neck. The blonde forced himself to stay calm. He didn't want to further upset the vampire.

"You can feed on me if you feel like it," he replied. Sasuke bit into his throat, not caring about being gentle while doing it. His nails dug into Naruto's back, making the blonde flinch in pain. The vampire didn't stop, and for a short while Naruto wondered whether he really didn't mean to kill him. His heart sped up, and he placed his hand in Sasuke's hair, ready to pull him away if he was to overdo it.

"That's enough," he whispered after a short while. To his relief, Sasuke stopped. He straightened his back, letting out heavy pants. Naruto washed away the blood. The vampire's hands stayed on his hips, his nails still digging into Naruto's flesh. "I can continue walking unarmed," he offered. "This way I'll also be on your mercy-"

"It's not the same," Sasuke snapped. The blonde led him out of the river, and covered him in the blanket. He grabbed their clothes, and approached the campfire. He was finally getting warmer.

"If I could," he started in a strained tone, "I would mark myself as well. So... If you were to go down, I'd go down too. I would have crushed both of these crystals. We're joint venture," he whispered. Sasuke kneeled next to him, covering his back with the blanket he had draped over his shoulders. The vampire's body was trembling with cold, and Naruto hugged him, pulling the man down to the ground. They landed with a loud thump.

"Shouldn't you bandage yourself?" Sasuke asked. The blonde eyed blood that was flowing down his chest in thin streams. His neck was aching, and he rubbed it, smearing the blood over it.

"Yeah," he agreed. He was short on ointments. And he still didn't know what to do about horse fodder. They were able to manage only because they had lost one animal. Naruto didn't want to risk getting caught again. It seemed that they would have to steal some. He hoped that whoever it would be, they wouldn't get too angry if Naruto was to leave them some gold.

* * *

Sasuke woke up abruptly. His scalp hurt - someone was pulling his hair. He blinked his eyes, trying to see anything in dimmed light. Then he saw it. A gaping wound on Naruto's neck. Sasuke was still trembling from the nightmare he couldn't recall. The blonde let go off of his hair when he noticed that Sasuke was awake.

"You bit me," he complained, forcing a chuckle. Sasuke stared at the man's neck. It seemed quite mutilated. Just like after the vampiress's attack. He unclenched his jaw, feeling a small piece of flesh on his tongue. He spat it out in disgust. His eyes locked with Naruto's. The man had already lit the lantern. Sasuke noticed that the crystal was still tucked under the blonde's shirt. "If you're so hungry that you're biting me in your sleep, I think you should really reconsider hunting," Naruto mused. His voice was strained, and there was a hint of false carelessness in it. "I'm not so bad at it, you know."

"You should've killed me," he growled. Sasuke realized that he was posing a real danger to the blonde. If he was to act out on his instinct, he would had finished eating. Even the taste of ointment wasn't bothering him as much as it had used to. He breathed in, trying to refrain himself from biting the man again. It wasn't easy.

"Why would I kill you?" the dumbfounded moron asked. "It's not as if you _wanted_ to attack me-"

"I want to attack you," he hissed, interrupting him. "Either kill me or run," Sasuke commanded, turning his back at Naruto. Air was filled with thick scent of blood, which was pooling on a blanket, soaking it. Staying for a rest was a horrible idea. When they were on a road, they at least weren't sleeping together.

"Well... you do have a reason for wanting to do that," Naruto whispered, leaning over Sasuke. "And I can take it," he stated. "Just try to not kill me," he laughed, and the vampire realized that the man was a complete idiot, who wasn't taking him seriously. He clearly had no idea that he was in danger. Sasuke rolled on his other side, and straddled Naruto, pining him to the ground by his wrists. The man had to realize that it was all over, that it was already too late, that there was nothing he could do. "I see you do try to make it enjoyable," he muttered. Sasuke could see a glimpse of fear in his eyes - but it didn't linger in there for too long, and was soon replaced with confidence. The vampire didn't want this, he wanted the moron to be afraid of him, to make him run away and never come back. A shiver ran through his back, as he lowered his head, biting into the soft, mushy flesh of Naruto's neck. It was covered in wounds and scars - they didn't have to hide them anymore. "Do you feel better now?" Naruto asked while Sasuke was swallowing another mouthful of blood. He had to be dizzy by now. And he probably already felt sick. The vampire let go off the neck, noting the relieved sigh that escaped the blonde's lips. He frowned, and lifted the man's already soaked shirt to bite him near his collarbone. "You really are hungry, aren't you?" Naruto questioned. He didn't make a move to stop Sasuke. His body was getting colder and grayer, and the brunette knew that it would soon be too late to save him. The mercenary still didn't stop him, and it seemed that he didn't plan to.

"You're an idiot," Sasuke shouted. The man was lying underneath him, almost completely limp. His eyes were unfocused, and he looked as if he was about to die. The vampire cursed under his breath, and pressed the wounds to stop bleeding. He needed to take care of them as soon as possible. And probably sew the man's neck together again. He had seen Sakura do it, and he hoped that a regular linen thread would do just as fine as her silk one.

Naruto sent him a faint smile, staring at him. Sasuke got startled when the man grabbed his crotch, encircling his fingers around Sasuke's shaft.

"So this is what gets you hard," he chuckled. He sounded oddly relaxed. Almost improperly so.

* * *

The vampire was breathing heavily. A quiet whimper escaped his bloodied lips. "This isn't how I imagined it," he whispered.

"Many bad things have happened. And I guess that all of them were my fault," Naruto mused in a bitter tone, steadily pumping Sasuke's dick. It was warm, almost hot in touch.

"Would you really die with me?" Sasuke questioned after a longer pause. His teeth were pink from blood. Naruto tried to comb the black hair with his fingers but it was rather fruitless.

"Yes," he replied.

He meant it. He had pretty much lost his reasons to live, and his goals became unreachable the moment he had became wanted. He would never be able to clear his name, and he knew that if the vampire was to die, he would just turn himself over to pay for his and Sasuke's crimes. Right then he lived just to repay Sasuke for everything he had done to him.

He shivered when he saw the brunette turn on his side, and cup his face in his cold hands. He pulled him in for a kiss, and Naruto decided to ignore his voice of reason. He brushed his lips against the vampire's, smudging his own blood all over his cheek. He embraced Sasuke tighter, feeling his whole body with his own. They were almost like mirror reflections of themselves, save for some minor differences.

Naruto gasped when he felt Sasuke's tongue invading his lips. He decided to forget about the vampiric saliva and whatever devastating effects it could have on his mouth. He sucked on the vampire's tongue, tasting copper and strange sweetness. He shoved his hands under the man's shirt and rubbed Sasuke's now warm back, tracing the line of his spine until he reached the man's bottom. He squeezed one butt cheek, and smiled when he heard the vampire snort.

"What happens now?" Sasuke asked in a hushed tone. Naruto blinked. The man had to know how sex between two men worked like, right?

"Well, we have a number of possibilities - if you want to continue, that is," he whispered into the vampire's mouth.

He could feel familiar tightness in his lower abdomen. His head was getting dizzy from the lack of blood, and if he knew better, he wouldn't had agreed to having sex right then. He nipped on the man's collarbone, deciding to avoid his neck, and the spot where the mark was. He pulled Sasuke closer, so their clothed lengths were brushing against each other. The brunette lifted his body, and straddled him, pining Naruto's arms to the ground again. He began dry humping him, probably acting out on his instinct.

"You're pretty much clueless, aren't you?" the mercenary snickered. Sasuke shot him a hurt stare, and Naruto felt rather guilty. Sasuke was clueless. He had been clueless ever since he had turned. The blonde took off his bloodied shirt, and tossed it aside. Then he gestured the vampire to do the same.

"Will you be all right?" Sasuke questioned, his chest heaving with every breath he took. Naruto nodded his head. He wasn't quite sure if he would be all right but he needed the vampire to finally come to his senses. He had seen him fidget in his sleep, and it seemed quite obvious that he was still being bothered by nightmares. It became even more prevalent now, when he had bitten Naruto in his sleep. The blonde checked his neck. He wasn't bleeding too badly, he would probably be able to withstand it. He reached for his satchel. Luckily for them, Zabuza and his friend were either lovers or fans of almond oil. Whichever it was, it would definitely make everything easier. Naruto took out a partially filled glass vial and uncorked it. Sasuke wrinkled his nose.

"It smells nice," the blonde whined. He studied his soon to be lover with tired eyes. He would have to bottom - Sasuke didn't react too well to pain, and, since he was so inexperienced, he might not be able to avoid it. After all, he didn't have an idea of how he should feel like. "Take off your pants," Naruto commanded. Sasuke unstraddled him and obeyed. The blonde used this moment to undress as well. His thighs shivered as he placed them around Sasuke's hips. The vampire's body was warmer than usual - probably thanks to the blood he had just drank.

Naruto poured some oil on his fingers and reached to his bottom, feeling for his hole. Sasuke was observing him intently, visibly bedazzled by the view. The blonde smirked, lifted one of his legs, and rested it on the vampire's shoulder. Then his expression softened as he began to massage his anus. He didn't do it for quite some time - it wasn't the most efficient way to let out steam - but, nevertheless, it made him arch his back in pleasure. Sasuke leaned closer, and kissed him again. A loud moan escaped his lips when Naruto started to stroke him with his other hand.

His own breath became heavier as he pressed his finger against his entrance. It slid in, and he already felt filled. Sasuke panted into his neck - hot air brushing over Naruto's wounds, irritating them. He grabbed the vial again - it almost slipped from his oily fingers - and added more liquid. He needed to be done with it as soon as it was only possible. He knew he wouldn't be able to last for too long. Another finger entered him, and he exhaled through his nose, trying to calm his mind. Sasuke was caressing his sides, his touches unexpectedly gentle. The brunette's dick was pulsating in his hand, hot and sticky with precum.

Naruto would had preferred to straddle the vampire and ride him in his own pace but he felt too lightheaded for it. He groaned when Sasuke groped his butt cheek, giving it a rough squeeze. The blonde added the third finger, stretching himself. His leg, still resting on Sasuke's shoulder, was getting numb but Naruto believed that having it lifted was one of the reasons he was able to remain conscious. Blood was rushing through his veins, his heart doing its best at pumping remnants of it through his body. He let out a strained moan when he finally reached his prostate.

"You can enter me now," he informed the vampire, who had been fucking his hand for the last couple of minutes, his eyes darkened with lust. A ragged sigh escaped Sasuke's lips as he positioned himself closer. Naruto retracted his fingers, grabbed Sasuke's shaft, and pulled the man in, using his legs. The vampire slid into him, the head of his dick buried in Naruto. The black eyes widened in pleasure, and the blonde smiled at Sasuke, who was breathing heavily. "You can move, you know," he chuckled.

Sasuke obeyed, his penis filling Naruto completely. The man groaned like an animal, and the mercenary wondered whether making love to an almost insane vampire was a good idea. Probably not. His heart fluttered in fear, and his mouth went dry.

"Why didn't we do this before?" Sasuke moaned, his hands on Naruto's hips, thrusting. The blonde smirked at him, and allowed his legs to fall on the ground. Then he reached out to Sasuke, who leaned closer, letting Naruto embrace him. He caressed Sasuke's thigh - it was rather rough in touch. Unlike his back, which was ridiculously smooth.

"You didn't want to," he pointed out, his voice breaking with every thrust. Naruto shifted underneath his lover, and gasped when Sasuke finally hit his prostate. A wave of pleasure went through his body. His dick was trapped between them, friction almost too painful.

"I've been stupid," Sasuke panted, his head placed in the juncture of Naruto's shoulder, his lips brushing against the blonde's neck. The blood that was soaking the blanket, was staining the vampire's cheek and forehead. A thin sheen of cold sweat covered Naruto's body, and he felt even dizzier. He wished for Sasuke to come.

"Don't hold back," he whispered.

The vampire dug his nails into Naruto's ass, and started to move faster, impaling the blonde on his dick. Naruto shuttered, feeling his own orgasm nearing. He refrained himself from scratching the man's body, knowing that regeneration would give him too much pain. His arms fell next to his sides, his fingers grasping the thick fabric. He looked up, admiring his lover. Sasuke was baring his fangs, his eyes shut, a vein twitching on his temple. His neck cords were tensed, the knuckles of his hands white. Naruto blinked, feeling as if he had a fever, his body weightless and heavy at the same time. He felt sticky, both because of his slowly drying blood and their mixed sweat. His thighs shivered. Sasuke was still pounding him into the ground, and he let out a throaty scream. His mouth and lips crushed Sasuke's name, making it incomprehensible, a cluster of syllables. The man replied with a loud grunt, and he came to a halt, his twitching dick coating Naruto's insides with warm semen. The blonde felt his scrotum tighten, and his mind went blank.

When he opened his eyes again, he was welcomed by a partially melted face leaning over his own. He let out a short, frightened shout, and Sasuke growled at him, hitting him with a wet rag in the cheek. Naruto calmed his breathing, and pulled the vampire closer.

"Were you supposed to faint?" Sasuke asked in a strained tone. Naruto sighed, fighting the desire to lie to the man. He had hoped he wouldn't lose consciousness. He shifted, frowning as some of Sasuke's cum leaked out from his still pulsating hole. He didn't remember his own climax but his body was familiarly relaxed, his muscles twitching in the aftereffect.

"No," he replied, running his fingers through black hair, trying to comb out the tangles. It didn't work. The vampire sighed, burying his face in Naruto's shoulder. "It felt good," he said in a hushed voice. Sasuke replied him in a hurt snort. His arm muscles tensed as he was regenerating. "Why did you go out?"

"You didn't have any water in your goatskin so I had to get some," he muttered. "You've said you'd be fine," he grunted after a longer pause. He sounded guilty, and Naruto hated himself for making him feel that way. At the same time, he was somewhat reassured by the fact that Sasuke was still capable of being gentle.

"I am fine," he protested.

"Why are you never angry at me?" Sasuke questioned, his voice almost inaudible. Naruto felt a pang of guilt, his throat tightening, his eyes damp with tears he refused to let out. He cupped the vampire's face with his hands, and lifted it, forcing the man to look at him.

"Because it's never your fault," he answered firmly. "I have to wash myself," he said, changing the topic. Sasuke didn't move, his weight refraining Naruto from getting up.

"We'll go together after the dusk," the vampire whispered, and Naruto nodded his head in agreement. He felt quite disgusting, covered in every possible body fluid but he didn't want the brunette to worry that he would faint and drown. He pulled a blanket over them, enjoying Sasuke's body heat for the first time. He planted a wet kiss on his lover's forehead, noting that the insides of his cheeks seemed swollen and numb. It wasn't as bad as he had anticipated it to be **.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know, this chapter is shorter than the previous ones BUT! there are two/three more chapters to go, and they will be longer. I think it will be 15-20k words from now to get it done, and finishing this chapter at this point seemed wiser than making a pointless cliff hanger (especially since I kind of already did that once, and that's not very fair with you :)). So, bear with me for a little bit longer.
> 
> And also review. This makes me write faster - really. I have a couple of ongoing stories, and I wasn't even aware that I didn't update this one for a WHOLE FREAKING MONTH.
> 
> Holy shit, I'm so sorry. I swear that you will get the next chapter in the next couple of days.


	8. Storm

Sasuke smirked under his nose, watching the blonde sneak into a stable. Horses whinnied, and Sasuke focused again, sniffing for anyone, who might get bothered by the noise. Luckily for them, no-one did. When Naruto emerged back from the stable, he had a huge linen sack on his back. It smelled like oats. It was a nice comforting smell.

"I left almost all of our money in there," Naruto mused.

They had to stay by the riverbank for two weeks until the blonde's wounds healed. Sasuke had made a point of not letting Naruto be anywhere near him when he was asleep, and Naruto listened to him, although he had tried to make some weak arguments against it. Then they went hunting, and _somehow_ managed to catch a doe. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the memory. Naruto definitely was hopeless when it came to hunting. He was too loud, and his smell was too strong. He wasn't able to fool the animals.

Sasuke also discovered that a doe wasn't able to cut it anymore. He had told Naruto that he was still hungry but he knew it wasn't quite true. He felt full but he didn't feel satiated. And he was well aware of the fact that the only thing that kept Naruto alive were shreds of his willpower. The smell of blonde's blood became thicker, always lingering around him, calling out to him. There were times when he was imagining the man's throat being ripped apart, soaking Sasuke's face and dry mouth with blood.

He needed it. He needed to kill someone before he would be forced to attack Naruto.

Sasuke grabbed the blonde's hand, and pulled him back into the stable, making the man drop his sack. Naruto sent him an uncertain smile. It grew wider, when Sasuke pushed him into a straw bale, and took off his shirt.

"We've left everything with the horse," the blonde said. Sasuke ignored his words, untucked his hoses, and pulled down his undergarments. Naruto was already partially hard, his bronze dick with a ridiculous pink tip waking up to life as Sasuke's breath brushed over it. Horses made even more noise, having a vampire so close to them, and Sasuke smiled in satisfaction, when he sensed someone nearing.

"Don't worry about it," he whispered, stroking the man's shaft. Warm fingers found their way into Sasuke's hair, and he masked his annoyance. He would have his hair pulled out when the woman would finally open the stable doors. Naruto panted, and Sasuke hoped that he wouldn't moan. Moaning could scare the woman away. He entered the blonde's mouth with his fingers, and the man started to suck on them. He gasped in surprise when Naruto grabbed his crotch, giving it a gentle squeeze. He sucked in a breath, refraining himself from making any noise. He hoped the blonde wouldn't notice. Especially now, as the steps were nearing. He sighed in anticipation.

He was so hungry that his mind was almost empty, his body overtaken by his most primal needs. It was simultaneously terrifying and liberating. He kissed his lover's neck, shutting his mouth with a hand. The flesh was scarred and uneven, and it was all Sasuke's doing. Every scar and mark that was once adorning the mercenary's toned body was now covered by ones made by him. Naruto was his, whether he wanted that or not.

The stable doors opened with a loud squeak, and Naruto jerked under him, evidently startled. Sasuke didn't waste his time, and jumped away, wincing in pain as the blonde pulled out some of his hair. The woman was gaping at them with her mouth wide open. Sasuke charged at her, pining her against the wall, and biting into her neck, her thin, wrinkled skin posing no obstacle to his sharp teeth. He heard Naruto yell but he ignored that, swallowing another mouthful of blood. The horses were making a turmoil, whinnying, and stomping on the ground. The woman was wheezing and crying, and Sasuke finally felt his hunger being satiated. Naruto pulled him away from his victim, the force and swiftness of the movement making him collapse on the wooden floor.

"You _knew_ ," he growled, pressing his fingers against the woman's neck. His dick was still whipped out, and Sasuke refrained himself from smirking at that even though it looked ridiculous.

"I didn't," he lied without hesitation. "But she saw us, we can't let her live, and I need to eat," he stated, hoping that the moron would be able to embrace the logic behind his words. He wasn't. "She's old," Sasuke added. "It's not such a big loss-"

"Shut the fuck up," the blonde yelled at him. "I've told you I would agree to anything that wouldn't entail killing a human, and here you are, doing the exact thing I begged you _not_ to do," he muttered. The woman's body twitched, as she coughed up more blood. Sasuke stared at it disconcerted. It was wasteful.

"I've also asked you to not mark me, and yet you've ignored that," he screamed back, hoping that the noise would attract more people. If it did, they wouldn't have a choice, they would have to kill them. And he could finally quench his thirst completely. Even now he felt his body getting warmer - he was so unused to it that it almost pained him with pleasure. "Just crush the fucking crystal if you care so much about her-"

"I _can't_ ," the blonde whispered after a longer pause. Sasuke shouldn't had been able to hear it, taking into account all the background noises but he heard it loud and clear, as if they were closed in a vacuum. Naruto's words filled it, ringing in Sasuke's ears. Can't. He had been using want up until now. It had always been want.

_I don't want to hurt you._

_I don't want to kill you._

_I can't._

_I can't kill you._

_I can't hurt you._

_But I want to._

Sasuke covered his ears and eyes with his hands, wishing the thoughts away. Naruto had been his safe harbor at the turbulent sea. Now the harbor submerged, drowned in violent waters to never resurface again. His chest tightened, crushing his heart, shattering it into thousands of pieces, never to be collected again. He flinched in shock when he felt warm hands cupping his face, peeling off his own hands, taking them away, making him listen to the outside world again. As if those hands didn't know of the storm that was brewing inside of him, that was threatening to overflow, to leave his body and flood the world.

"Sasuke, what is wrong with you?" a muffled voice asked, and Sasuke wanted to cackle. _Everything_ was wrong with him. "Breathe with me," it pleaded. Then he heard it breathe. Breaths were loud, exaggerated. Nobody needed this much air. Nobody deserved this much air. He wanted the voice to know about it, so he opened his mouth. No words left his lips. Blood did.

His body spasmed, making him empty his stomach, a red liquid with a brownish tint gushing out, flowing through his throat, stretching it, filling the gulf of his mouth and nose, and dripping down, falling into his lap, staining his hands - and these other hands, covering them with sticky, warm substance, gluing them together.

"You are sick," the voice whispered in terror, and Sasuke nodded. He was sick. He had always been sick. "I didn't even know you could be sick," it added. Sasuke felt his body being repositioned. "Do you still need to throw up? Was there something wrong with the blood?"

These words reminded him about the old woman. He looked around - his eyes were open but only now they could see again - and saw her body. She looked like a discarded rag doll, lying in the pool of her own blood, lifeless and not moving.

"Sasuke, talk to me," the voice pleaded, and Sasuke realized that it was Naruto. It had always been Naruto.

"I'm fine," he croaked. He cleared his throat, getting rid of raspiness.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, embracing Sasuke, who wiped his mouth, and closed his eyes, welcoming the darkness and numbness that was awaiting him.

"Bad blood," he answered dismissively. He wasn't certain whether the blonde believed him or if he just wanted to believe him but that made no difference. He was but a flotsam, however, the sea was still.

* * *

Naruto practically carried the vampire back, leaving the woman's body behind. He cursed himself - he could had saved her but he got distracted by Sasuke, and when he was able to return to her, she was already dead. There was nothing he could do but to mutilate her neck further on, making it look as if she wasn't attacked by a vampire but by bandits. That meant they had to take the money with them. Now the sack with oats seemed much heavier.

He didn't know whether he could trust Sasuke when he had said that he hadn't known about the woman. His reaction was too fast, and it seemed as if he wasn't hesitating when he aimed for her throat. He didn't want to eliminate her, he wanted to feed on her.

"Why don't you feed on me?" he asked in a hushed voice. Sasuke stared at him, his eyes half-lidded.

"I'm not hungry," he answered immediately, not leaving any place for discussion.

Naruto sighed in defeat. They probably could hunt down some bandits, and Sasuke could feed on them - in this way he wouldn't be hurting the community. Unfortunately, bandits weren't as easy to track, so they couldn't be considered a steady supply of food. Besides, even if they were evil, they were still people. Letting a vampire drain them wasn't a moral thing to do.

But there wasn't anything else he could do.

* * *

Sasuke looked around, taking in the dull, corpse-like environment. The sky was clouded. The ground was soggy, it was clinging to their shoes and horse's hooves, making disgusting noises with their every step. Fresh grass and weeds were overgrown, and the air smelled of decay, of dead, rotten plants and small animals. He wrinkled his nose, rather unhappy about the discovery.

"It's ugly in here," he muttered. Naruto grabbed his hand and squeezed it in a reassuring way. They probably wouldn't be able to find a dry spot to set out a camp in. It seemed also colder than where they were before. And everything was damp. Sasuke felt damp. He was certain that the tips of his fingers were wrinkled from the perspiration alone.

"These are mostly swamps," Naruto agreed. He pointed to a small wooden building in the distance. It was standing on wooden stakes. "If I remember correctly, this is a temple. You want to visit it?"

"...there's no point," Sasuke replied, looking away. He couldn't remember this place. "But we could sleep in there," he said. Naruto shot him a shocked stare. "I doubt anyone would notice."

There wasn't a single sign of human presence anywhere nearby. No footprints, no lights. And they had already passed a couple of small villages. They all seemed desolated. Some of the roofs bore a mark of being burnt down. Everything smelled of death and fire, and the whole region looked like a cemetery.

"But it's a _temple_ ," the moron objected.

"What, are you afraid that you'll be struck with a lightning for desecrating it?" Sasuke snorted bitterly, shaking his head. He doubted that any god would like to reside in such a rundown place.

"...it actually _is_ a temple of a thunder god," Naruto mused, suppressing a chuckle. "You either remember it or should've been studying divination-"

"You would've made a decent tailor," Sasuke replied with a compliment. Thinking about it was pointless now but he couldn't help but wonder if everything wasn't as messed up, if he wasn't a vampire, and if Naruto wasn't a mercenary - if they were just regular people, who were lucky enough to meet one another - whether they could had lived together there, in the mountains, with Naruto's stupid garden and stupid chickens, which probably would be just a nuisance since Sasuke believed that they would lay eggs everywhere but where they would be supposed to do so, and they would probably destroy the moron's silly garden but it would be just the two of them, leading a simple, uneventful life, and for a reason he couldn't quite name, he desired it.

" _Decent_ ," Naruto repeated the word as if it was offending him. "I would've been the best tailor."

"Why not," Sasuke agreed absentmindedly, an empty smile lingering on his face. He allowed the man to lead him into the temple. Even the building was soggy. They were bogging in the dark brown floor boards, and he knew he already hated it. The horse stayed outside, tied to one of the stakes for there were no trees. There was generally nothing.

He looked around the temple. One day it could had looked beautiful. There were signs of paint and lime on the walls and the altar was adorned with detailed reliefs but it had to be a really long time ago since anyone paid any attention to it. It was abandoned, just like he was. And it seemed that it was either robbed or everything was taken away by priests. Just another empty place in the sea of emptiness.

"I guess they built a new one," Naruto mumbled out, clearly embarrassed by the state of it. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. They, whoever they were, probably didn't. And Naruto probably knew about it as well.

"We can still stay in here for the night. It has a roof and walls," he muttered in reply. "And it will isolate us from the ground. We could sleep on the altar-"

"Are you out of you mind?" Naruto interrupted him, agitated. " _Sleep_ on the altar, holy fuck-"

"If you're offering," Sasuke chuckled back, amused by the blonde's response. "But then this thunder god will definitely struck your ass with their lightning," he mused, feeling unusually relaxed.

Now, when he was so close to uncovering the truth about himself, he was almost at peace with himself. And Naruto had apparently accepted his nature since he had been feeding on some random wrongdoers every couple of days. The blonde had been claiming that they had been helping. Sasuke couldn't care less. He just wanted to eat so he wouldn't have to worry about attacking his companion.

They could hear a distant thunder. Naruto jumped in place, startled, clinging to the vampire's arm. Sasuke smiled at him.

"Maybe they're happy that someone finally appeared in this shithole," he suggested. Naruto covered his mouth with a warm - how in the hell he was able to keep it warm? - hand.

"Or maybe they're angry because you're a heretic, and I shouldn't even be here," the blonde whispered back in a heated tone. Sasuke shook his head in disbelief. The mercenary didn't believe in ghosts but he was more than willing to believe in slightly bigger spiritual beings. It didn't make sense. But, then again, nothing really did.

"Why shouldn't you be here?" he questioned. The storm had been nearing for quite some time, Sasuke had felt it in the air.

"Because it's your family shrine," Naruto replied, sounding as if it was something obvious. "There was a cemetery nearby-"

"Lead me there," he commanded. The blonde tilted his head. Rain was pouring from the sky, droplets hitting the roof, which, as Sasuke soon learned, was leaking. They should probably lead the horse in as well or it would get sick.

"Fine," he agreed, covering his head with a hood, and stepping outside into the storm. Sasuke followed him, and, somehow, persuaded him that the thunder god doesn't want their horse to get wet.

* * *

Naruto was shivering from the cold, but he lead the vampire to the cemetery. The road was overgrown and neglected. He bit his lips. It had to be painful to the vampire - to see the remains of his family treated with such disrespect. He turned his head at the man but Sasuke's expression was unreadable. He either couldn't force himself to care about people he couldn't remember or he didn't want to show Naruto that he did care. The blonde sighed.

It looked far worse than he had imagined it to be. Uchihas weren't an especially wealthy noble family but their lands were rather big. And, from what Naruto had remembered, people were harvesting peat in here, so the villages themselves were fairly well developed. Now it looked like a cemetery. Naruto didn't know whose fault it was - it could had been even Sasuke's if the man had neglected his duties as the heir.

It was Gaara all over again. Naruto smiled bitterly, realizing that apparently shitty blueblood heirs were his type. However, Gaara was someone completely out of different league. He and Naruto would had probably never spoken to one another if Gaara's father wasn't a paranoid maniac, who thought his son wanted to kill him. _Son of the fucking Sand Lord_. Naruto frowned at the memory.

The Sand Lord had ordered him to kill Gaara, who, according to him, was a monster. As a proof of that, he had informed Naruto about countless murders Gaara had committed. And while Naruto had to admit that the man's killings were unnecessarily bloody and violent, he had soon found out that Gaara's victims had also been his would-be assassins, hired by no-one else but his own father. So he tried to reason with Gaara but that didn't work out very well. He was severely wounded, and if it wasn't for his natural stamina and resistance, he would had died right then and there.

But he was persistent. He reached out to Gaara again, and again, and _again_. And when the fourth time came, Gaara decided to finally trust him. They fled the Sand Country, and Gaara joined the same guild Naruto was a part of. His reputation was both a dis- and an advantage. People were too afraid to mingle with them but they were also able to contract most prestigious jobs. Besides, they felt good enough in their own company.

And that lasted for three years but then Gaara's father died, and Gaara was expected to take over. The country's tradition of inheritance was ultimogeniture.

He didn't. And that resulted in a civil war, in which one third of the country's population perished. Gaara kept repeating that he didn't owe these people anything after years of mistreating him but Naruto knew he was always eager to listen to the news about his homeland. And he knew that the man was bothered by it.

There were days when he was wondering, if Gaara wouldn't had taken over if it wasn't for Naruto. Because the fact that they wouldn't be able to still be together was obvious. Hell, Naruto would probably had to be marked as an enemy to the nation. That was what tradition demanded - even if Gaara's father had seemed content with it.

When the civil war was finally over, and Gaara's older brother inherited the throne, he issued and edict in which he declared Gaara a traitor. After all, _he_ was responsible for the death toll.

"...I think this is it," Naruto murmured, pointing to an overgrown lawn, where stone monuments were lying in pieces, destroyed. His throat tightened. It didn't make much sense. Sasuke stared at it, his hands clenched into fists. The blonde placed a hand on his shoulder but it was quickly swatted away. "Do you want some time alone?" he asked. The brunette nodded his head.

Naruto walked away, weary to not go too far. He could hear a muffled scream and sobs. He stood at a distance, fighting his urge to walk up to the man and comfort him.

Then the vampire returned to him, his face pale, his eyes red and puffy. Naruto lead him back into the shrine, where he allowed Sasuke to fuck him on the altar, listening to the thunders outside. He didn't know whether the thunder god was angry but he hoped that he was. He hoped the thunder god was angry together with Sasuke, whose screams resonated in the temple, mixing with the thunders outside.

The storm died out, and so did Sasuke's fury. The vampire was lying next to Naruto, his head resting on the bronze chest. The rain kept pouring, and a hole in the roof was positioned perfectly for it to hit Naruto's forehead every now and then. He caressed he vampire's arm in a soothing way.

"A friend of mine used to work here in a kennel," he murmured. Sasuke stopped breathing, raising his head, and staring at him. He looked exhausted. "We could try to contact him, and ask him about what's happened-"

"He's probably not here anymore," the vampire interrupted him in an irritated tone. "This place is dead and forgotten."

"These are just the outskirts. There's a castle-"

"Whose?" Sasuke questioned.

"...it probably returned to the Fire Lord after..."

"After everyone was killed," the brunette suggested. "He clearly doesn't care about it-"

"Someone has to govern it," Naruto stated in a firm tone. "I'm sure I'll be able to contact Kakashi, he used to work at the castle - perhaps he still does. He might know what's happened. Hell, you might even know him-"

"I don't know him," Sasuke replied, sounding tired. Naruto wasn't too surprised. It was a long night. "But we don't have any other plan so we might as well try to do it," he whispered, refraining himself from yawning.

* * *

To Sasuke's surprise, they were able to contact the kennel master. Naruto asked some villager about him, and the villager, after receiving more gold than he was probably earning in a year, and being promised twice as much if he'd bring Kakashi to them, agreed to do it. And succeeded.

They were closer to the castle now, and there were more people. It was still nothing compared to some of the other lands they had traveled but it was something. They were staying in a small forest nearby, unable to sleep because there wasn't a safe spot for it, what meant that Sasuke had to remain awake and alert.

"Naruto!" the grey-haired man exclaimed, giving the blonde a hearty hug. "I've never thought I would see you again," he smiled. Then his eyes moved to Sasuke, and his face paled. "It cannot be," he muttered as if he saw a ghost. Sasuke didn't feel too offended by that. He probably was like a ghost. Whoever he had been as a human, it meant nothing now. It wouldn't change much if he was dead. After all, he was supposed to be dead.

"This is Sasuke," Naruto whispered as if anybody could overhear them. The kennel master shook his head in disbelief.

"I know who this is," he replied, his eyebrows knitted together.

"You can't tell anyone that you've seen him. Or me. We're kind of wanted now," Naruto chuckled as if being wanted was just a small inconvenience. "There's something I need to ask you-"

"Where have you been all these years?" the kennel master growled at Sasuke, agitated for whatever reason. The blonde stood in between them, doing his best at separating them.

"It's a long story," he laughed again but it seemed quite obvious that he wasn't able to fool the older man.

"Why did you ask me to see you at night?" he questioned, staring at Naruto, who at that particular moment decided to cover his neck wounds. Sasuke mentally cursed. The moron probably couldn't be more obvious.

"I'm a vampire," he stated. It didn't matter if the man knew. He could always kill him.

The kennel master gawked at them. Then he sent a questioning look to Naruto, who nodded his head, letting the man know that Sasuke was telling the truth. Then he rubbed his temples, and started to walk in circles. Sasuke expected the man to be frightened but he either trusted Naruto enough or just wasn't too taken aback by this unexpected twist.

"Are you insane? Walking around with a vampire? Feeding him?" he inquired, massaging his scalp. "And you," he addressed Sasuke, who just arched an eyebrow at the man. "Do you really think you can just come back here as a god damn vampire?"

"I'm not coming back," Sasuke answered, unfazed by the outburst. "I just want to know what happened."

"What happened-" the man repeated, his face tensing. It seemed rather clear that he was mad at Sasuke. Sasuke didn't know why but if it was in any way connected to his past, he was willing to find out.

"What happened to my family?" he clarified, leaning against a tree. The kennel master glanced at Naruto, who nodded his head, and stood next to Sasuke. The vampire appreciated the gesture, although he knew that the blonde did that mostly to keep his friend safe, and not to comfort him.

"Sasuke lost his memory," Naruto added.

The man sighed, shaking his head.

"Your older brother killed your family," he said in a grave tone. "And then you killed him. And when that time came, I believed that you would return to your duties but you disappeared, leaving these lands to ruin," he muttered.

Sasuke nodded. That would be consistent with his own theory about what had happened.

"Your regent... he uncovered some files - and I don't know what was in them but Uchihas were named traitors, these lands, their title, everything was taken away from them - from you, and the Fire Lord made Danzou the governor. Now he's fixing the mess he himself had caused..."

"Traitors?" Sasuke repeated. That didn't add up.

"Apparently," the kennel master shrugged his shoulders, clearly not really interested in it.

* * *

Naruto glanced at his lover. His face was tense but rather composed. He puffed warm air into the indentation of the man's neck, and shifted his position. The altar wasn't too comfortable. But it was the only place where they could sleep, and he knew Sasuke needed sleep. Even if it seemed that Sasuke himself decided to become a chronic insomniac. It was almost dusk, and the man didn't even close his eyes.

Naruto had noticed that Kakashi was worried about him. He couldn't blame him. Having a vampire friend definitely wasn't a way to climb the social ladder. It didn't really matter to Naruto but ever since his relationship with Sasuke had started, he was excluded from the society. He didn't even know how much he missed other people. How much he wished he could had went on a walk with Kakashi, and talk to him in private. How much he wished he didn't have to worry about their lives.

"Go to sleep," he pleaded. Sasuke let out a strained sigh.

"We have to part our ways," the man whispered. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise.

"Why?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"I have to see this Danzou," he muttered. "I'll have to ask you to give me back the crystal. This is going to be the end of the journey for me," he added, a faint smile on his lips.

"That's _not_ going to happen," Naruto protested, raising his head. Sasuke stared back at him, his expression soft, calm, and serene. "I'm coming with you," he added against his better judgement. That would be the end of the journey for both of them but there wasn't anything more awaiting them.

"You're not," Sasuke stated decidedly.

Naruto wanted to argue but something heavy hit him in the head, knocking him unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, remember what I've said about cliff hangers? Is this a cliff hanger? It sort of is, isn't it? :D Sorry. This is just me trying to divide this in a logical manner. I probably failed but oh well.  
> I also promised you longer chapters but this is how it ended up. Honestly, I've deleted some scenes because I decided they were unneeded, and making it longer just for the sake of it being longer made little to no sense.  
> Well, the last chapter will be longer.  
> I swear.  
> :D


	9. End

Sasuke knocked on the doors, and the kennel master opened him, staring at him with wide eyes. Then he noticed unconscious Naruto, who was draped over the horse's back. Sasuke couldn't had left the mercenary knocked out in that temple. Even if no-one had bothered them while they had been staying there.

"You have to take care of him," he muttered, and the kennel master slowly nodded his head.

"You can't come in if I won't invite you, right?" the man questioned, backing out into the room. A pack of dogs - six of them, all tall and big - was cowering in the far corner of the room, whimpering and barking.

"I can't," he assured the man. He didn't have time for this. He just needed to leave Naruto in his care and move forward. He had fed on the blonde - mostly because he didn't want to be followed by him. "Take him from me," he ushered the kennel master.

"You don't remember me, do you?" the man asked, finally lifting Naruto from the horse, and draping him over his shoulders in a rather awkward piggy ride position. "You used to be a really cute kid," he added. "You used to come to the kennel and play with my dogs. One time, you said you wanted to become a kennel master yourself," he said, letting out a strained laugh. "And now you come here to bring even more sorrow," he uttered, shaking his head. "Let it go. Whatever you want to do, it's not a good idea."

"Danzou framed my family, stripping them off everything they had," Sasuke protested.

"He didn't frame them," the kennel master answered. "Danzou might be not the nicest man out there but he's a legalist. And you were supposed to be dead. Coming here after all these years when we're finally rebuilding," he paused and sighed, "that's just cruel. You owe these people peace. If you hurt Danzou, everything will be ruined. Just like you've ruined this boy," he stated, gesturing to Naruto. "It's your fault that he's wanted, isn't it?"

Sasuke frowned at the accusation. It wasn't his fault.

"It's his fault," he grunted. "I've never asked him to follow me."

"You're still a selfish brat," the kennel master replied, his eyes cold. "It's a real shame that you weren't more like Itachi. Your brother was capable of sacrifice-"

"My _brother_ murdered my whole family _,_ " Sasuke growled.

"Because he wanted to protect _you_. These lands, these people - they needed someone who would take care of them. But you didn't. You've set your mind on killing the person, who's saved your from untimely death - because, honestly, everyone would've died either way."

"What are you talking about?" the vampire questioned, trying to take a step into the man's house. He couldn't. The kennel master smirked at him, evidently feeling safe with the invisible barrier separating them.

"Your family wanted to overthrow the Fire Lord," he answered. "That's treason. Their little rebellion would had been crushed. These lands would had been turned into a cemetery. Your brother saved this place and saved you as the rightful heir. But you've never pulled your head out of your ass-"

Sasuke glared at the man, his arms shaking. So he had killed the wrong person back then. This time he would fix his mistake.

"This already is a cemetery," he hissed, and walked away. He'd already wasted enough time. Now he had to find a way to get inside of the castle. He needed someone, who would invite him.

* * *

Naruto woke up, his whole body aching. He felt drained. Then he suddenly remembered the last conversation he had had with Sasuke, and sat up, looking around frantically. He wasn't in the temple anymore. He was in the kennel. A dog was licking his foot. He was naked, covered only by bandages, buried under a heap of blankets. He heard someone click their tongue, and turned his head towards the source of the noise. It was Kakashi.

"What am I doing here?" he asked dumbfounded. He glanced at the open window. It was already day.

"Sasuke's brought you here. But it seems that he's worked really hard on making you useless for fight," the man muttered, sitting on a stool next to the bed. Naruto almost forgot how great beds were.

"Where is he?" he asked, ready to stand up and find the idiot before it would be too late but Kakashi stopped him, grabbing his arms, and putting him back into the bed.

"I don't know. You shouldn't have brought him here," he complained, handing Naruto a cup with hot wine in it. The blonde downed it in one go. He missed the wine, and all the other conveniences he had been lacking while on the road. But he knew he would had missed Sasuke more.

"You don't know?!," he yelled at the man, and jumped out of the bed, searching for his clothes. He had to find Sasuke. His eyes caught a glimpse of a black smudge on his hand. It had to be writing once but now it was just a stain. He turned his head at Kakashi, and shoved the hand into his face. "What did it say?!" he inquired, hoping that it would be a clue on how to find the vampire.

"It was nice knowing you," the kennel master replied in a dull tone. Naruto shook his head, blinking away the tears that threatened to escape his eyes. "I've contacted a friend of mine - she would accept you as her entourage. She's an envoy, so you would be granted full immunity. You would just have to travel a lot but that's what you're doing already, so-"

"I don't want to," Naruto growled at him, putting on his undergarments and hoses. He needed to get out of there as soon as possible.

"This might be your only chance," Kakashi grunted, scratching a dog behind its ear. "She's here, and she's one of the fun envoys. You would've enjoyed her company. She drinks a lot, though, so you-"

"I don't care," the blonde snapped at him, dressing in his tunic. "Where's Sasuke?"

"Forget about him. He's probably he will be dead. And he _should_ be dead. If you wanted to keep him as your pet, then bringing him here was the worst idea you've ever had-"

"He's a _person_ ," Naruto hissed. He hated Kakashi for how right he was about bringing the vampire back to the place that killed him. He should had known better. He should had lied to him, told him that he'd never heard anything about Uchihas, kept him away from all of this. Even if it wasn't what Sasuke wanted. The blonde clenched his fists. The vampire should had never saved him. Naruto should had died there, killed by the ghouls, eaten by them and forgotten to the world.

"He's a _vampire_ ," Kakashi hissed back. "The moment monsters will be considered persons will be the exact moment when this world will collapse. There's a reason why they aren't. They kill people, and, Naruto, you should know this best - you've used to slay them," he whined, rubbing his temple. "Seriously, what's happened to you? You used to be so smart-"

"Apparently I'm stupid now," he barked. One of the dogs growled at him. It seemed that they didn't like when someone was shouting at their master. "Do you have any idea where he might had went to?" he questioned. Kakashi shrugged his shoulders.

"If someone catches you, it will be over," he muttered. "I won't be able to help you."

"I know," Naruto replied, feeling somewhat guilty. He had never meant to upset the man.

He went outside, surprised to see the horse tied outside. He hid his face behind a hood, wondering where the vampire disappeared. Sasuke had said he needed to see Danzou. Naruto hummed. The man was probably in his castle - but not necessarily. Danzou was just a governor so he could had been sent wherever. The blonde smiled bitterly. If he had Sasuke with him, tracking down Sasuke wouldn't be a problem. Fucking irony.

* * *

Everything went well at the beginning. Sasuke knew he would had been recognized instantly by virtually anyone who was from here, so he tracked down a man, whose scent seemed foreign. The man smelled like incense and spices, not like mud and rotting plants. The smell of the bog lingered on everyone, even Naruto had started to smell like it. Sasuke had spied on that man, and learned that he was a servant to an envoy, who was visiting the castle. That seemed like a good opportunity. Many people would be there - many people whom castle guards wouldn't know. So he followed that man from the inn he was visiting and on his way to the castle - really, whoever called that thing a castle, was quite full of themselves because it was a glorified tower at best - when the man stopped to take a leak in some nearby bushes.

And that was everything Sasuke needed. He sneaked in behind the man, waited for him to finish - after all he didn't want any stains on his new clothes - and snapped his neck. He was still full from feeding on Naruto but he regretted that he wouldn't be able to drink more. This man was well fed, so his blood had to taste great.

Naruto's had changed - it wasn't as thick and sweet anymore; it seemed far less nutritious. That was to be expected - the man was constantly tired and his diet wasn't the healthiest. Not to mention that he had been feeding a vampire for quite some time now. Sasuke clutched his fists. He hoped that at least now Naruto would be able to be free again. He shouldn't had allowed him to follow him.

Sasuke undressed the corpse, and threw it into a muddy river. It floated but there was a chance that it would be taken away with the current, what would give Sasuke more time. The loose clothes fitted him. The fabric was pleasantly soft, of a much better quality than the one of which his previous garments were made. He eyed his old tunic. It had been sewn back by Naruto so many times... And their blood had mixed in it. Sasuke frowned and tossed it away. He wouldn't live long enough to need it as a souvenir.

And now he had just a couple of hours to get into the castle and kill Danzou before it would dawn.

* * *

Naruto went near the castle. The ground was rather boggy, and that probably explained the small size of the building. It served just for defense. Even some of the buildings which would be normally in it, were placed in the outskirts- such as Kakashi's kennel. He saw a glimpse of familiar fabric at the riverbank- he had recognized it even when it was darkened from water. He ran up to it, and grabbed it in shaky hands. It didn't seem damaged - if he was to guess, he would had said that the vampire had dumped it himself, and hadn't been stripped off of it.

He needed to get inside but the gate was the only entrance. And there were guards on the walls, watching for any suspicious activity. Naruto cursed. Then he took a closer look at the river. There was a chance that the castle sewage system was linked to it. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. Well, what needed to be done, needed to be done.

* * *

Sasuke approached the gate, where two guardsmen stood, pretending to be drunk. He hoped that the garments smelled of alcohol strongly enough to fool them.

"I'm back," he slurred, draping himself over one of them. The man pushed him away, laughing. It seemed that they were used to that kind of behavior. "Will you let me in?" he pleaded, drawling the last word. He just needed to hear a "yes." That was all he was asking for.

"Sure, buddy," a guard snorted. "When is Lady Tsunade coming back?"

Sasuke tensed. He didn't know. He would had preferred to enter the castle as sneakily as it was only possible but he had already received an invitation so if he needed to, he could just kill these two men.

"I have no idea," he laughed back, pretending that he couldn't stand straight.

The guards snickered with him, and opened the gate. Well, that went better than expected. Sasuke trudged in, swaying from side to side to stay in character. He had no idea where he should go from there. He saw a group of people - other servants, he realized in horror - exiting some doors to take a piss. The whole courtyard smelled of urine. Sasuke didn't know whether it was something normal when so many people were living in such a small closed off space or not but it was definitely unpleasant. The village in which he had spent the first two years after becoming a vampire smelled much better.

He walked past them, and went into a room they had just exited. It was a kitchen. Naruto would had probably loved it. It was filled with eggs, flour, meat, onion, apples, pears and wheat grain. Some dry herbs were hanging close to the ceiling but Sasuke had problems with recognizing them - smells were mixed in together, too strong to tell him anything useful. He hanged his head low, and entered a corridor. Now he would just have to find Danzou's bedroom.

He checked almost each and every room, and grabbed some linen towels just to make himself look as if he had a purpose. He ditched them soon after he noticed that people were giving him funny looks. It seemed that Lady Tsunade's servants - whoever she was - weren't as useful as the other ones. He climbed up stairs, focusing his nose. Some rooms smelled empty - walls and tapestries damp from never using the fireplace to keep them dry, and some were evidently inhabited.

There were ones, in which scents of a few people's were mixed together - and Sasuke doubted that Danzou would be in one of them. He would need to look for ones, in which there would be only one person's smell - or two. Sasuke walked slowly, taking in as much air, as he could. It had been confusing at first but he was slowly getting the hang of it, assessing every room much quicker than he would had expected himself to be able to.

Then he came to an abrupt halt. The room to his left smelled like firewood, and it seemed that only one person was living in it. What was more, the adjacent rooms also weren't damp but nobody was living in them, so, whoever slept in this particular one, was important enough to make those men waste wood. And this particular region didn't have too much wood to start with. Naruto had told him that people used to harvest peat in here but it seemed that this industry had been abandoned - probably due to the lack of work force.

Two guards stood in front of it, glaring at Sasuke. They had already noticed him but Sasuke knew that the person who slept in that particular room was inside. If he was wrong, then he was screwed. If he was, however, lucky, then this whole trip was far more fruitful that he had anticipated it to be.

The vampire sucked in a breath, feeling for his dagger. He would need to be quick and quiet to not alarm the rest of the castle. And that definitely wasn't something he was good at. He unsheathed his dagger in one swift motion, and cut one of the guards' throats open. Blood gushed out of it, and the man started to cough. The other one didn't have time to scream as Sasuke stabbed him under the chin, reaching straight to his brain. He fell limp on the floor, and Sasuke turned on his heel, snapping the other guard's neck. He eyed the damages. He wasn't exactly quiet, so the person inside probably already knew about him. The corridor was bathed in blood, and there was no point in hiding the bodies - even if the empty rooms seemed like a good place to do it. Especially since the person could escape while he would be doing it.

He flung the doors opened, and entered the room. He knew that the person was standing right in front of him, so he walked in sideways, not presenting any vital points to the man. He glared at his opponent, who was sitting on a chair, looking fairly relaxed, with a crossbow in his arms. He seemed young, too young to be a governor of anything. Sasuke cursed under his breath, and charged at the man, who just clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, and sent a bolt right into his knee, turning him immobile. Then the man loaded another one, and aimed into Sasuke's shoulder, making him drop his dagger. The brunette fell on his knees.

"Now, what do we have here?" the man smiled in a nasty way, and approached Sasuke. He grabbed his chin with his long strong fingers, and forced the vampire to look him into his black empty eyes. He looked somewhat like Sasuke but he was definitely better groomed. Then the man smirked when he saw Sasuke flinch in pain as his body began to regenerate - and failed in doing so completely due to the bolts that were still sticking out of knee and shoulder. "A vampire," he chuckled, stood up, and kicked Sasuke in the face, breaking his jaw. Then he watched as the bones in his face were healing back, apparently bedazzled by the show. Sasuke spit out a tooth. A new one was already forming, and the pain was excruciating. "A vampire from here," he mused, studying Sasuke's face. "I guess Lord Danzou would love to have a _talk_ with you," he concluded, fracturing Sasuke's jaw again.

* * *

Naruto finally found himself in the place, where all the refuse was coming from. He was careful to not step into any of it. It was truly disgusting in there, and had he eaten anything, he would be throwing up constantly. But, since had had only some hot wine in his stomach, he was just dry heaving every now and then. And he was more than relieved when he finally reached the end of his journey. He was quite certain that there was no amount of hot water that would make him feel clean again.

He climbed up the wall, and lifted the wooden lid. He finally got in. Still, it was barely evening, so he would have to avoid people. He hoped he didn't smell as bad as he thought he did - but that was probably impossible. His shoes were covered in shit. Naruto glared at them, and, eventually, decided to ditch them. Walking barefooted seemed much more pleasant.

He walked out from the toilets, trying to be as quiet as it was humanly possible, and listening for any noise. But then he heard it.

An inhuman scream resonated in the corridor, and Naruto's heart got crushed. It was Sasuke. And he was in pain but he was also _alive_. The blonde rushed towards the source of it, constantly reminding himself that he couldn't run, that he shouldn't run. He needed to be smart about this. He needed to find a way to save the vampire.

And then they would walk away from here, as far as it would be only possible. And they would settle down _somewhere_. Somewhere, where people wouldn't bother them. And Sasuke would finally get better, he had to get better eventually. He would calm down, and they could stargaze again, and there won't be anyone, who could hurt either of them again.

* * *

"I didn't even need to find you myself," Danzou said quietly, sitting more comfortably on his chair, and watching a part of Sasuke's face melting off. Sasuke was lying on a floor in a dungeon, all of his limbs chained. He was unable to move, and the man, who had caught him, was standing next to the little barred window, covering and uncovering it every now and then, making Sasuke's body burn and regenerate, burn and regenerate, burn and regenarate-

And Sasuke was certain that this was his entire life. That there was nothing but this pain - the pain of being destroyed, and the pain of being rebuilt. The sunlight felt as if someone poured liquid metal on him. It was heavy and burning, and it consumed his entire body, promising him death - slow and painful but death, and there was nothing Sasuke wanted more than death. Regeneration felt even worse - a thousand of glass shards cutting through his skin and organs from the inside, pushing out, falling out, scattering around the floor, and Sasuke hoped that at one point there won't be any more glass shards in him, it had to be over soon, there was no way that he could still be regenerating, he had to die, to finally stop feeling because feeling was the most horrifying thing. He wanted to be numb, lifeless, finished.

"Let him regenerate completely," Danzou ordered the young man, who grunted something in reply, and left the window covered. And for a short moment Sasuke hoped that it was finally over, that he would be free of this pain. "It's actually really helpful. I've had some problems since your body was never found, and there was no way to prove that you've been a part of it all. Some nobles would had preferred it if the original heir remained here," he whispered. "But look at yourself, you've came back here as a vampire," he said in an amused tone. "We're going to have a public execution. And then I won't have to worry about you coming back anytime soon."

Sasuke nodded his head. He just wanted to die. It didn't matter if it was an execution or how public it was.

"But I wonder who did _this_ to you," he muttered, approaching Sasuke, and showing him the crystal. "Did you escape from some scholar? Because, well, legally, they still own you, and since you're not a person anymore, I can't just damage someone's property," he said. "So please, tell me, who is your rightful owner?"

"Your lordship, if he has that thing, then the person is probably already dead," the young man grunted. "Besides, your lordship can just pay fine if they ever show up-"

"I'm fully aware of that," Danzou muttered in response. "But I need to prove that I have been trying to find the owner."

"There's none," Sasuke croaked, his lips chapped, and throat dry. "He died, and I escaped."

"Who was it then?" the man questioned, and Sasuke sucked in a breath when the sunlight hit him again because he didn't answer immediately.

"Gaara," he whispered. He knew that the man was dead, and that he had died fairly recently. Probably _after_ Sasuke had killed himself.

"Gaara?" Danzou repeated the name. "Gaara, brother of the Sand Lord? How did he even find you?" he chuckled, and, judging from the noises, sat back on his chair. He had trouble walking, and was using a cane to support himself. "On the other hand, he did travel around here... Well, I can accept that. Write this into the report," he ordered some servant, who had kept quiet during the entire torture session. Sasuke heard some scribbling. He hoped that Naruto received his final message.

"My brother," he rasped. Sasuke just wanted to learn why he had killed everyone. "Why did he-"

"That was the deal with the Fire Lord," Danzou replied. "He kills off his entire treacherous family, and disappears to not anger other nobles, leaving you as the heir and me as your guardian. A perfect plan," he mused. "Although not in concordance with the statutes," he added in a stern voice. "And believe me that the nobles won't be too happy when they'll hear about it," he concluded, standing up, and getting ready to leave.

Sasuke heard a crossbow being fired, and a body hitting the floor. The smell of blood nearly drove him crazy. He needed it, he needed it so badly-

"Thank you, Sai," Danzou whispered. "You can tell Ibiki that he can have his fun now. I'll leave the crystal to him. I wouldn't want our guest to die because of some lousy scholar."

He left, and Sasuke hoped that he would be left alone. That Danzou would just return to him when he'd decide that the time had came, and give Sasuke death - whatever death. Slow, fast, merciful or painful - it didn't matter. The only thing Sasuke wanted was to be free of it the pain.

When Ibiki came, Sasuke learned that he would had given everything to have Sai and Danzou back.

* * *

Naruto ran into the room, almost tripping on a dead body that was lying on the ground. Then his eyes widened in horror. A tall, well built man was standing above Sasuke, who was plastered on the floor, his eyes mad and shifty, his body pierced with bolts, his skin partially melted off - and Naruto noticed that it wasn't regenerating anymore. And the day had ended two hours before. Whatever they had done to Sasuke, they had hurt him enough times to use all the blood he had drank from Naruto less than twenty four hours ago.

The blonde charged at the man, who was too surprised to react properly. He probably felt safe with the guards standing in front of the cell but he didn't realize that Sasuke's screams muffled other noises perfectly. Naruto sliced through the torturer's chest with his cutlass, leaving a gaping wound. Sasuke's nostrils flared, and his eyes darkened with bloodlust. Naruto knocked out the man, and shoved his neck into the vampire's mouth. He needed to eat. Naruto couldn't escape with him while he was like that.

"Where are the keys to the chains?" Naruto asked, searching the torturer. He found the crystal in the man's satchel. It was just pure luck that it wasn't destroyed while they were fighting. "Sasuke, where are the keys-"

He stopped mid-sentence as the vampire screamed again. His skin started to regrow. Naruto grabbed the torturer's corpse, and shoved it aside. He remembered that Sasuke had told him that he couldn't feed on the blood of dead beings. And he had never seen him do so.

"Sasuke, keys," he repeated. They needed to get out of there quickly. The vampire wasn't reacting to his name. He had always reacted to his name - no matter how pissed off he had been. Naruto grabbed the bolts that were stuck in his body, and pulled them out together with pieces of flesh. Sasuke screamed again. It seemed as if he had never stopped screaming. "Fuck, what have they done to you," he whispered in terror. The vampire hissed at him, showing off his teeth. Naruto jumped back, trying to find a way to unchain the man. Finally, he found the keys hanging on the belt of one of the dead guards.

He returned to the cell, and opened the binds that kept Sasuke chained. He gasped in shock when the man immediately jumped on him, ready to attack him. He stared at the vampire, who was baring his fangs at him. The black eyes were bloodshot and mad. They were glassy, almost dead. Sasuke snarled at him, letting out a guttural growl. The blonde kept him at a distance with his straightened arms and bent knees, ignoring the pain the vampire was inflicting on him by squeezing his limbs.

"Please, let me know if you're still there," Naruto pleaded in a quiet whimper, trying to keep himself from sobbing.

The vampire freed himself from his grasp, and pressed against him, pushing him further into the ground. Naruto reacted instinctively, hitting the man in the temple with the hilt of his cutlass. Sasuke frowned but remained conscious, an incomprehensible scream of hurt escaping his chapped lips. His hand reached out for Naruto's weapon, and the blonde threw it away. When the vampire moved to get it, Naruto caught him by his hair, and pushed him down, kneeling on his back to trap him under his weight.

"Sasuke," he whispered, his voice heated with emotions. The brunette didn't react to his name, and blue eyes welled up with hot, stingy tears. He doubled over the vampire, pressing his forehead to the man's tensed back, and listening to his heartbeat. Sasuke used his hesitation, and got on all fours, making Naruto fall down. The blonde blankly stared at his hand in which he was holding a strand of black hair. The vampire leaned over him, his hands grabbing Naruto's neck. Naruto coughed up, wheezing for air.

_It was the end._

He reached for the crystal. It was unpleasantly cold in touch. Just like Sasuke's hands. The vampire removed one of them, and bit into Naruto's neck, tearing it apart, and leaving a gushing wound.

"I'm glad I've met you," Naruto wanted to say but his vocal cords didn't obey, letting him produce only a quiet groan. Sasuke's teeth dug into his flesh. The blonde winced in pain, and lifted his numb arm, his fingers brushing through black, blood drenched hair. "You shouldn't have saved me," he wanted to add. His mind was slowly drifting away but he forced himself to stay conscious. The crystal burnt his hand, reminding him of his last duty as a mercenary.

Tears finally flew from his eyes, and down his temples, landing in the pool of warm blood. He squeezed the crystal, feeling its walls break under his touch. Something filled his hand, and he didn't know if it was his own blood or something from the crystal. He didn't want to know. His sight was misted by tears, so he blinked them away. He had to watch. Averting his gaze would be a mercy to him but he couldn't let Sasuke die alone.

The vampire winced in pain, as the mark on his neck doubled in size, dark blotches appearing around his throat, eating through his skin, tearing his cords and veins, breaking his spine, dissecting his head from the rest of the body. Naruto glared at it in terror, fighting the urge to throw up, his lifeless fingers pressing the head to the neck, hoping that the process will somehow reverse itself. His violent sobbing resonated in the cell, dying down only after his mind left his body together with his blood.

* * *

Naruto blinked, trying to adjust his eyes to darkness. He was in some foreign room, and the air was filled with the smell of fresh blood. He was lying on ground, his body inexplicably light. Something heavy was resting on him, so he sat up and looked down at a headless corpse, which fell on the ground next to him when he had shifted his position. His fingers were still twirled into black hair. He lifted the head, and stared into its empty eyes.

He had no idea who the man was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me. And please, review ;)

**Author's Note:**

> I've just read my summary ("A vampire saves a monster slayer's life. Complications ensue," pfft) and realized that I would've never opened the fic. So I don't know whether you were desperate or if you're all just really nice people who took pity on me but: THANK YOU. I suck at writing summaries but that thing was a complete abomination (not that it's much better now). If anyone feels like helping me out - please, do.
> 
> FAQ (I should probably remove both F and A from here but whatever :D):  
> Q: Why central Europe?  
> A: Because I feel confident writing about it - I'm a historical reenactor and a Slav, so I know I won't screw up. I would love this to have more appropriate setting but I'm afraid that doing a proper research would take too much time + I would probably fuck up anyways. And I like Slavic folklore.


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